Sleepless
by DokturProfesur
Summary: The Sanzu River is in turmoil. Spirits have found ways to escape the rotten waves of eternity, and lash out against the living world. Whatever is riling up the dead has the shinigami on edge, but with them all guarding the Sanzu, former ferryman Onozuka Komachi is assigned with the enviable task of tracking down the current escapees. The sequel to I've Got Strings. CHAPTER 8 UPDATE
1. Embers of the Sanzu

_Hello new readers and welcome back old readers! Boy it's been a while hasn't it?_

 _I've had this sitting in my files for some time, however I was never inclined to post it until I was certain I regained interest in writing again. After finishing_ I've Got Strings _I needed to take a break and recharge, so I wrote this over the course of several months instead of my usual sessions. I think I'm ready to get back into the saddle, so I finally sat down and had a decent writing session._

 _This isn't the result of said session, you'll see that one later._

 _Anyway onto my next work,_ Sleepless _. I highly recommend you read_ I've Got Strings _before reading this story, as the events covered in that story are the primary catalyst for this one._

* * *

Kagiyama Hina was feeling justifiably proud of herself as of late.

There had been a spate of misfortunes the last few weeks, terrible curses which forced her to travel across Gensokyo to visit the afflicted and take their troubles away. There had been outbreaks before, but the scale was something else. It was a nice excuse to get out of the Great Youkai Forest and see a bit of her humble world again.

Of course, her reputation kept trouble far and away from her. All knew of her, all who had the sense ignored her existence outright to avoid any residual misfortunes that may escape her. She liked seeing human and youkai alike outright flee from her at times, it reminded her of a child who disturbed a hornet's nest.

Sometimes she'd follow them, just to see their reaction. It was unnecessarily cruel, but the amusement factor was well-worth any myths this would fabricate about her later.

She was a benevolent girl when it came down to it, she'd never dare pass along a curse. At least intentionally, there was this one time the bubonic plague struck a coven of youkai, she had to make a quick trip to recover the disease before it spread too far.

It would have been quicker if they didn't run.

Regardless, Hina was more than in a good mood. She had just one last location to visit. Something drew her to the banks of the river Sanzu, and she couldn't quite place why. She'd usually find out about curses and misfortunes along the way from travelers who were ignorant of her nature, but this time she heard nothing.

She stood on the rocky banks overlooking the cursed waves of that rotten river, the billions upon billions of dead souls making up its liquid contents.

"Oi! You're scaring off the dead again!"

Hina blinked, spotting Komachi floating by in her ferry, a man who cradled his severed head under his arm was the passenger.

"My apologies," Hina said, her gentle voice somehow carrying over the roaring rapids of the river, "something draws me here."

The shinigami looked unconvinced, her brow quirking visibly, "it's all pain and misfortune here," she said, "not much you can do about it."

Hina shook her head, "it is not the Sanzu or the spirits who wait on its shore," she lifted off and slowly floated along the riverbank, keeping pace with Komachi's boat, "something happened here, something that normally doesn't."

"Someone with cash got shoved in?" Komachi helpfully supplied with a careless shrug, "what do you care? You know what happens when you fall in these waters."

Hina's frown deepened as she nodded, "I feel great suffering here, but..." she trailed off, staring back at the original part of the shore she stood on. She could still feel the insistent tug, something terrible happened there, "did you see anything happen over there?" she asked.

Komachi followed Hina's gaze, "the water got pretty rough a while back, but it calmed quickly," the shinigami answered, "you're not going to find anything here, curse goddess, I suggest you turn back now and save yourself some daylight."

Hina's gaze stayed on that disturbed bank of the Sanzu, where large stones had been kicked about and rotten, bloated bodies had been strewn across the shore.

Something had to have happened there.

However, the shinigami had a point. She could spend the rest of her allotted eternity sitting on this shore and learn nothing more, she was better off heading back to her forest home and waiting for the next spate of misfortunes to strike, "please let me know if something happens here again," she said humbly.

Komachi waved her off, "I'll keep you in mind," she said flippantly. The headless man waved farewell as Hina parted their company.

There was a reason she was brought here, there had to have been. She would look into it in the future, ask around maybe. People didn't make it their business to know what happens at the Sanzu, but for something so terrible she was naturally drawn to the location, there had to be at least one soul that knew what happened.

She just didn't know where to start looking.

Hina could still feel it, the urge to return seemed to grow the greater the distance. She needed to figure out what's going on, she needed to help whoever suffered such a great misfortune.

It was muffled, like it had been wrapped in a thin cloth, but she could feel it. It was something great, something she hadn't felt in thousands of years.

There's no way it could be that.

Time will have to tell just what was festering beneath the waves of the Sanzu, there was nothing to be learned here. She slowly bobbed in the steady breeze and drifted back into the misty forest thicket just beyond the craggy shores of the river. She tried shaking the feelings from her mind, but the sensation was so nagging, it felt like a parasite gnawing at her senses.

Hina blinked when she caught something in her periphery, a few flickers of orange in the otherwise depressing shades of gray that made up the Sanzu's rocky shoreline. She saw the lights dance into the trees, and spurred on by curiosity, the goddess hurried along to keep pace with the phenomena.

Was this what she was feeling?

She could certainly feel the lingering trail of suffering the lights were leaving behind, a stray spirit perhaps?

The way they danced, they almost looked like embers flowing with the stirring winds—graceful, but with a sense of spontaneity and mischief about them. Hina thought of each ember as a little demon whose whim fate relied upon when spreading a flame through a forest.

Which became entirely apt when the embers bumped against a tree and swallowed it in a furious blaze within seconds.

Hina darted after the embers, who quickly shot into another tree and swallowed it in a raging blaze. It weaved betwixt two tress, making sure to bump into them both and light them aflame. Hina reeled at the sudden, intense flames, instead opting to rise before the smoke of the blaze eclipsed her sight, maybe she could follow the embers from above.

When Hina cleared the blazing wood, she saw just how quickly the damage spread.

What she thought was only a few burning trees was now a raging inferno, rooted deep into the local woods, so massive and ferocious that it would likely burn for days without intervention. The goddess found herself hesitating. She could gather so much misfortune by letting those embers run rampant for a while.

Yes, that's what she would do. Hell, someone else would eventually confront the spirit or whatever it was, Hina herself could just roll in and take care of the misfortune. The goddess smiled as she turned away from the inferno.

This would be fun to watch.

 **=][=**

"Komachi."

The shinigami blinked, tearing her head away from the beheaded spirit. Before her stood the very person she'd rather not have to deal with as much as she has to. "Heya Shiki," Komachi said with all the enthusiasm of a hooked carp.

The enma's brow twitched, but her stern expression remained. She kept her grip on the Rod of Remorse firm, restraining herself from smacking the redhead in front of her with it, "we can talk about your tone later, since there is something far more dire to discuss than our mutual feelings for each other."

"Rude," Komachi responded, trying to sound offended.

"Now since you haven't brought it up with me I know you don't know about it," Shiki continued, once again ignoring the sounds that came out of Komachi's face-hole, "first though, I'm sure you're well aware of the Sanzu's new guest, and the strife its arrival has brought upon the trapped spirits."

"A nice way of saying those two chumps kicked a hornet's nest," Komachi said flatly, "so what's happening?"

The enma's frown deepened, "it appears this shakeup has done far more than just upset the spirits. According to some of the reapers, spirits have found ways to eject themselves from the waters of the Sanzu."

The shinigami laughed at that, but it quickly died in a few seconds, "I wish you had a reputation for making jokes."

"I'll let you know if I decide oxygen is depreciating in value," Shikieiki responded smoothly, "in the meantime, I need you to vacate your station and track down these rogue spirits."

Komachi snorted, "why don't you ask your precious reapers?"

"Because they need to monitor the Sanzu and keep anything worse from getting out," Shiki said.

"You really think that corpse is going to come back out?" Komachi prodded.

"While whatever our strangers dumped in the Sanzu can now be considered a threat, there are other things beneath those waters that we need to keep quarantined."

At this the woman couldn't help sneering, "so I'm too dangerous to have around?"

"You'll be more useful elsewhere," Shiki said, "I expect you to make all haste in tracking down these rogue elements before they do any harm."

"It's not like you'll let me do anything else," Komachi retorted snidely, "I _do_ like my ferry job."

"All evidence to the contrary," Shikieiki responded in kind, "I know, low stress, slow pace. Now go and find those rogue spirits so you can get back to work that requires far less effort. You can start back at the shoreline where you spoke to Hina."

"How did you-?"

"I know everything my shinigami are doing at all times," the enma said matter-of-factly, "there was a forest fire nearby, that should be enough of a clue to put you on the trail of our wayward spirits."

Komachi rolled her eyes, "why don't you do it then, if you already know," she mumbled as she turned to put as much distance as she could between herself and her minuscule boss. She closed her eyes and sucked in a breath, picturing where she needed to go.

It was nice having the power to cover great distances in a short amount of time, just fold the world a bit and you can make it where you need to go in a few dozen paces. Within a matter of seconds Komachi covered the usually great distance from the realm of the enma back to the banks of the Sanzu. With the roar of the rotten river just behind her, Komachi focused on spotting a trail of billowing smoke or the hot glow of flame, but she couldn't spot anything from the banks of the river.

The shinigami lifted off, and the moment she began cresting the deep gorge that lined the Sanzu she spotted the fire Shiki told her about, what was left of it anyway. It looks like it had been put out for a few hours, snuffed out in what looked like a localized blizzard. Wherever there was charred tree and earth, there was a layer of frost covering them.

Komachi drifted over to a nearby tree and cleaved it with her scythe. As the top fell clean off she inspected the heart of the charred wood, still glowing hot, embers leaking from the cracks. The fire was big, it was no wonder that someone capable enough would come along to put it out, but that begged the question of who did it.

There were a few culprits that came to mind, and if she remembered right one liked to hang out close by. Hefting her scythe over her shoulder Komachi touched down and decided to take a walk. If Shiki was going to make her play detective, she might as well go at her pace.

She already knew where she wanted to go. There's always a place where you can catch wind of Gensokyo's latest woes, especially some of the players involved. The shinigami twirled her scythe and swung it playfully, cleaving another tree as she started to hum a few haiku to herself. She hoped the red-white was involved, it would make finding the source of this nonsense all that much easier.

 **=][=**

"Come over for dinner again, Mokou?" Kaguya prodded.

"Shut up before I kill you," the noble snapped, sparks of fire shooting across the table, "Doctor Yagokoro summoned me here, and I would be remiss to not answer."

"Nice to see you still have your propriety," the lunar princess observed as she glided past Mokou, "though I think you should apologize to the humans for burning their crops."

"That wasn't me!" Mokou barked, her skin gaining a healthy glow as her temperature flared, "how many times do I have to tell people that?!"

"You're the resident pyromaniac, not me," Kaguya said nonchalantly, lazily floating about, "so if you didn't, who did? You gonna go on a mad quest for revenge and fail just about every time you find your target?"

"Don't test me you lunar whore!"

"Temper, temper," the princess chided, giving Mokou a wider berth, "how do you expect to find a good husband with the emotional appeal of a dead spider?"

"You've said your piece, Kaguya," floated in a new voice. Yagokoro Eirin silently made her way onto the scene, making a shooing gesture to the princess, "give us some space, I want to speak to lady Fujiwara about something."

"I can't listen in?"

Both girls looked pointedly at Mokou, who snarled and made a far less polite shooing gesture at Kaguya, who only snickered and retreated. From the sounds of things she quickly tracked down Udongein and started yammering with her, leaving Eirin and Mokou alone for the time being.

"It's not the first time you've burnt down a forest," Eirin said flatly.

" _That's_ what this is about? I should have realized, whenever something burns down they always blame me! I thought you were smarter than the rest of those idiots in the human village!" Mokou retorted hotly, a few embers flying out of her mouth.

Eirin wafted the glowing embers away with a hand, "you weren't always so charitable in the past, Mokou. The Soga come to mind."

"Look if you're going to say something, just say it and stop bringing up the past. You think I did it, what are you going to do about it?" the noble hissed.

"Help find the real culprit if you're so ready to claim innocence," Eirin said, "Reisen said a child that she would play with was consumed in those flames, and is happy to help you track down whoever did this."

"And just what is your stake in this?" Mokou snidely asked.

"A burnt down human village is bad for business," Eirin responded, "As much as I'd rather not make medicine for every idiot who decides to keep a pet spider, I do enjoy eating something once in a while. Human food isn't very filling, but it does taste nice, and I need their money to indulge that vice."

"So Reisen wants to avenge some crispy kid, and you want money," Mokou clarified, "and what if I refuse?"

"I can just shoot you and put your head in a box to make sure it isn't you," Udongein answered, arriving with Kaguya in tow, "but if you're innocent, which I'm pretty sure you are, it will be helpful to have our local fireball around."

"Where do you plan on starting?" Mokou asked

"Well whatever started the fire is not going to be in the same spot, but if the location is anything to go by I'm pretty sure its intent is giving those poor humans trouble," Udongein answered, "our culprit has to be hiding close to the human village, but far enough away to not draw attention to themselves," she gave Mokou a pointed look, "know any good places someone might want to hide?"

Mokou's eyes narrowed, "I'm guessing you think I'm an authority on the subject?"

The rabbit snorted, "well to be fair, you're not exactly a people person."

The noble just about ripped Udongein's ears off, but decided against it, simply sighing in annoyance, "yeah I know a few spots around the root of Youkai Mountain, we can start there."

 **=][=**

Komachi was surprised to find that the recent blaze managed to reach the human village, she expected better. However, as a newly minted reaper (at least that's what she'd tell people), she was surprised to find that nobody recognized her by either her attire or the giant scythe she was expected to carry through woefully small doors.

Should she really be surprised? Probably not, the only person she knew that had crossed paths with a shinigami and survived was that prude of a hermit.

"Miss! Miss over here!"

Komachi turned around, seeing a merchant and his cart. She was about to dismiss him when he presented something curious to her, a glass jar filled with fireflies-... no those were embers.

The crafty merchant smiled wryly, "I see my trinkets have caught your eye! Come come! Take a closer look at this contained essence of fire!"

Essence of fire, huh? Komachi hazarded a stroll over, making sure to throw an extra bit of sway in her hips. She caught the slightly balding man's eyes wandering just a tad, perfect. "Oh my," she said, putting on an airheaded voice and trying to look more impressed and bewildered than just genuinely curious, "essence of fire? I've never heard of such a thing!"

The -not as crafty as he thought he was- merchant found his grin only growing at the tall woman's words, "true, this is quite the rare commodity! It is said that essence of fire can only be produced from those who died in a terrible inferno, I captured these little demons last night during the forest fire that threatened the village!"

"Oh you must be very brave to capture these embers all by yourself! May I see a jar?" Komachi asked, keeping the act on.

The merchant flushed at the shinigami's praise, offering a jar full of mischievous little flames, "here you are miss. Do be careful though! Each of these little embers has the power to create infernos that rival the one that occurred the night prior. However, they do make great lanterns!"

Komachi found herself laughing, "that's not all it does," she said, her voice going low, "it will help me find our little troublemaker," she placed the small jar in one of her satchels, "you've done a great service to the shinigami."

The merchant paled, "sh-sh-shi-," he swallowed a generous lump, "o-of course!" he said, taking a deep bow, "a-anything to help a servant of the enma!"

Komachi ruffled what little of the man's hair was left, "good boy, now run along, your time hasn't come yet," she didn't need to tell him twice, the moment she gave him permission he packed up his cart and hurried home, probably to relieve himself. The shinigami couldn't help another laugh before pulling the jar out of her pocket again, inspecting the glowing embers therein, "now then, show me the way, little ones."

"You're not actually going to open that up are you?"

Komachi turned, spotting the familiar black cap of Gensokyo's most famous thief. She looked down, her gaze meeting the substantially shorter girl's eyes, "hey Mari, what's up?" she asked casually.

Marisa hefted a basket of fruit, "gettin' some snacks."

"More like stealing."

The young magician waved Komachi's retort away, "I consider it takin' for the needy. Now you gonna tell me why you're about to start another fire?"

"Shiki sent me to track down a mutual friend," the shinigami gestured to a burnt down house in the background, "these embers haven't gone out, they're packed full of residual ki. We can use it to locate the little pyromaniac," Marisa's frown turned thoughtful, which teased a grin out of Komachi, "wanna help?"

The magician's frown grew to oppose Komachi's grin, "the last time I decided to help someone it didn't end well..."

"This won't end up like that," Komachi said dismissively, "the worst thing that's gonna happen is that we have another fire to deal with!"

"I already put out one inferno, I don't feel like putting out another," Marisa retorted.

Komachi's grin remained, "so help me catch the little torch before it causes more trouble!"

Marisa shook her head, "look, I'm trying to stay out of the whole charity thing for a while. I don't need it right now."

"You look like you need some heads to bust," came Komachi's retort, "and you're not doing charity, you've been enlisted by a shinigami to track a fugitive," she ruffled Marisa's hair, "so you don't have a choice missy!"

Marisa rolled her eyes, "if it means getting rid of you faster, let's go then."

Komachi laughed and started unscrewing the lid of her jar, "That's the spirit! You don't regret this Mari, trust me!" she tossed the cap away and tossed it into the air, watching the free embers shoot from the open jar like fireflies. As a group, they all fluttered about before flying off.

"Of course it's in the direction of youkai mountain," Marisa intoned, still unbearably grumpy. She squeaked in surprised when Komachi casually picked her up with one arm like a distressed damsel.

"Hurry now! We can't lose them!"

* * *

 _And there you have it, the start of what will hopefully be a fun little adventure._

 _I've decided to make this the full-on sequel to Strings. So behold! Shortcomings Manifest the rewrite!_


	2. The Spirits of Hiei, and the Ash Giant

_Hello again everyone. I intended to get this out sooner, but I caught a nasty headcold and have been bedridden all week._

 _I hope you enjoy this second chapter!_

* * *

"So why did Eirin really want me to come along?" Mokou prodded.

Reisen's red eyes shone softly in the the dark caverns as she peered about, "fight fire with fire, lady Fujiwara," the lunar rabbit answered, "she wanted you on hand in case another fire broke out, and it was a good excuse to get you out of our hair for a while."

"Yet here you are," Mokou retorted brusquely, "the place is a labyrinth, we could spend days in here," she said, snapping her fingers and producing a candlelight on her thumb.

"We'll see," Reisen produced her pistol and took a few speculative shots into the dark corners of the cavern, the flashes of light briefly illuminating the craggy corridors, "I guess you're right," she said, having spotted no movement or anything of real note except pools of cavern water.

"Hold on," Mokou said, stepping deeper into the cavern, "do that again."

Reisen quirked a brow, but shrugged and complied. She fired thrice, bearing solely dictated by her whim. She paused, looking to Mokou for direction. The noble made a vague gesture in an undefined direction, to which the rabbit followed by taking a few potshots at said heading.

The brief flashes yielded naught but a ruckus as far as the rabbit was concerned, her attuned eyes gleaming nothing, and she doubted Mokou could see anything either.

"There's a buildup of heat down that way," Mokou said, "past where you took your shots."

Reisen hummed, taking a few more shots further down the black pit ahead before Mokou cleared her throat.

"Give me a second," the noble girl said, stepping between Reisen and the cavern, "I want to try something," she kissed her palm, and a few embers gathered above it. She blew, driving them toward the light-forsaken crag.

Both girls watched as the embers lazily drifted forward, only to be snagged by some unforeseen force and whisked away in a gust so soft neither could truly feel it.

Tersely, they followed the embers deep into the cavern. They had to take flight over deep crevasses and stillwater lakes, until finally they found a congregation of orange light. The embers danced around each other, flickering softly as they lazed about.

Mokou and Reisen exchanged a skeptical glance. This couldn't have been it, maybe an anomaly. They bristled when a soft exhale filled the cavernous dark, and the embers in front of them flared briefly.

"More displaced," the embers said, flaring again and pulsing outward, "we will be safe from the flames here."

Mokou looked to Reisen, but the rabbit shook her head, "there's nobody there, just those embers."

"Nobody... all dead..." the embers said morosely, "how could we prepare? How could we foresee it?"

The rabbit mulled over an idea, but spoke faster than she could decide if it was a sound idea, "foresee what? The forest fire?"

"They came from Kyoto," the embers said, "instead of coming up the mountain they circled it and set it alight... it slithered up Hiei like a hungry demon, swallowing the plants and animals in its gluttony, so many died trying to escape."

"Hiei..." Mokou felt tense, her stomach churned as a harsh memory hit her, "spirit, the fires have been calmed," she said reassuringly, "there is no need to hide in the dark like this."

"They will come back," the embers uttered meekly, "I can still hear them marching."

"The Oda clan are gone!" Mokou said emphatically, "they were dissolved centuries ago! What happened to Hiei will never happen again!" from her lips flew a few embers, so impassioned were her words.

The embers that passed her lips were captured by that unseen force, and pulled into the speaking wisp, "I... I can feel your power. Help me fight them."

"The Sengoku Jidai is over, _the fight is over_!" Mokou retorted.

The embers paused, flickering in and out. Reisen thought that Mokou had finally gotten through to the spirit, but then they flared back to life, "what of Kyoto?"

"It still stands," Reisen helpfully supplied.

"Then the war is not over," the embers said, "not until Kyoto is in ruins. You will help me."

"I'm sorry, but nobody's going to help you with that," Mokou said, "and you're not getting out of Gensokyo any time soon."

"I will break this illusion then," the embers retorted flatly, "Kyoto will burn! Just like Hiei did!"

The cavern itself came alive. Hundreds of little embers flared to life, whirling about in a great storm, " **burn it all!** " they screamed, their color turning to a spectral blue, " **burn like Hiei!** "

Reisen Udongein Inaba, fugitive and delivery girl, burnt alive by angry little fireballs from the Sengoku era. Not how she expected to spend her Monday. Well, it beat getting eaten by a giant crocodile-

No burning to death was much worse.

A jet of flame burst into the air, and the blue embers flashed back to their bright orange for a brief moment, reeling at the new flame that threatened to snuff them, "Reisen!" Mokou shouted, spitting another gout of flame into the air and chasing the embers back, "I'd like to get out of here now!"

The embers coalesced like a great predator, lunging forward with its burning maw wide open. Mokou hurled a fireball down its throat, and the monster exploded as the embers fled, whirling about chaotically.

"Move, now!" Mokou snapped, grabbing Reisen by the hand and running off as the embers recomposed.

"Run!" the flames cried, "run from the fire, they will wait for you!" the whirlwind of azure flame tightened and piled into the floor of the cavern, building into a single great flame that burned more intensely than any blaze.

Mokou and Reisen dare not look back, the fire was almost blinding. The noble tried her best to retrace her steps, but she began to stumble as the catacombs began to widen.

"This way!" Reisen cried, yanking Mokou and taking the lead, her pistol in her free hand. Intense azure light filled the cavern, showing that the spirits fully intended to pursue. Mokou created a fireball and threw it over her shoulder, hoping it would slow them down once more.

A terrified chorus of shrieks soon followed, telling Mokou all she needed to hear. She created another and threw it, creating the same reaction. The caverns began to dim quickly as the girls outran the enraged spirits.

"We're losing them!" Reisen shouted triumphantly.

" **You have not!** "

Spectral flames erupted from the ground in front of them, cutting them off from the exit. The cavern lit up as the condensed forms of the spirits burst into the room, driving into the ground and exploding with great intensity.

Mokou and Reisen shielded their eyes, the flash bright enough to leave stars in their eyes. Mokou formed a fireball in her fist, and Reisen grabbed her spare pistol.

From the inferno rose a form both found vaguely familiar. Towering and covered in what looked like plates, the great horns jutting from its head perfectly complimenting the demonic visage that burned with intense red eyes. The perfect representation of a powerful daimyo.

" **Look upon us, and see the visage of despair,** " the spirits chorused from within the demon, " **this is the monster that all will be reminded of!** "

"Ignorance is bliss!" Reisen retorted, diving to the side and firing her pistols into the demon's face. The monster lurched forward, bullets punching through the armor of the mimic daimyo as it advanced. The face beneath its kabuto split open, and a gout of spectral flames erupted toward Reisen.

Mokou dove between the rabbit and the flames, spitting her own stream of flames to snuff out the fire of the enraged spirits. Azure and crimson/orange danced and caressed each other, but the blue flame began to give, just as Mokou had hoped.

Quickly, the spirits were overpowered, and Mokou's fire poured down the gullet of the spirits.

This should have been the part where the flames were snuffed out.

The spirits shrieked in horror, but soon their voices were drowned out by another sound. A low rumble, thrumming throughout the cavern. It grew and grew as more voices joined it, all crying out in rage, sorrow, and terror. The regal armor of the daimyo began to grow, becoming more and more ornate, it had soon morphed from something traditional to what looked like hot metal. The edges of the armor took on a fierce orange glow, and the cavern had lit up like it was daytime.

The growing demon's flames dulled for a moment, but then with an intense flash revitalized flames erupted from its maw. The intense gout easily snuffed out Mokou's flames and battered her.

Reisen charged while the giant battled with Mokou, pouring shots into the damaged kabuto once more. Her efforts were rewarded when the hulk raised an arm to block her attacks, its maw snapping shut and ceasing the onslaught. The lunar rabbit dove aside as the armor swung a powerful arm at her, trying to keep the demon's attention off of Mokou.

" **You only prolong the inevitable!** " the spirits snapped, reaching down and clutching a shattered nodachi that had been dangling from its hip. The blade was broken near the hilt, however the moment the spirits drew the blade the sword channeled the same spectral flames that animated the azure daimyo armor. The spirits swung the sword, an arc of wicked flame hurling forth toward Reisen.

Mokou was shockingly no worse for wear. The flame wards stitched into her clothing burned brightly, but they had accomplished their work. She grinned manically, the spirits of Hiei stirring something within her. Her fist caught fire and she charged, an explosive kick off of the ground sending her into the air. She reeled her fist back while the demon turned, the sound of her launch garnering its attention, and she slammed her clenched fist into the cracked kabuto of the monster. The demonic visage shattered, and the spirits cried out in surprise, reeling back and clutching the broken armor, embers pouring from the wound.

The cavern began to dim as more and more embers poured out of the monstrosity's wounded countenance, filling the cavern with their soft azure glow. Its flames visibly dimmed, and Mokou raised both hands, channeling as much flame as she could conjure and throwing the full weight of it at the demon armor.

" **Kyoto must burn!** " one spirit cried, decidedly masculine, " **the Tendai of Hiei must be avenged!** " the embers filling the cavern chorused and swarmed Mokou, whirling around her and directing her flames away from the demon armor. Finally free from being snuffed out, the armor exploded into a swarm of embers, and the spirits all fled the scene before Mokou could muster another attack.

The noble dropped to a knee, her sweat was steaming and her fire wards glowed so hotly that they threatened to burst into flames themselves. She sucked in a few deep breaths, trying to recompose herself and drop her temperature.

Reisen slowly made her way over, absolutely drenched in sweat from the intense fire fight, "you okay?" she prodded, still keeping her guns on the exit in case the spirits returned.

Mokou nodded, swallowing a lump, "yeah I'm good, I just wasn't expecting resistance."

"Those spirits are certainly a tough clientele," Reisen observed, "you think we can take them?"

"We have to," Mokou said, rising to her feet and lifting off of the ground, "the moment they get out they'll be burning more and more, but with me feeding them a hearty lunch I can only imagine how much."

 **=][=**

Letting the embers go was a great idea.

In just a short amount of time, they caused so much havoc that Hina had to spend hours harvesting the latent misfortune once the fires died down at the hands of a snap-freeze spell, courtesy of Kirisame. That whole botched trip to the Sanzu was suddenly justified in the curse-goddess' eyes.

She earned a good rest after such a long trip.

Of course, girls like her didn't rest the same way everyone else did. Hina's idea of rest was drifting about aimlessly through the gorges and streams that made up the kappa valley, spinning lazily with the direction of the wind as she mused over what had continued to vex her.

What was in the Sanzu? What was surviving down there?

Hina wasn't attracted to the suffering of the dead, that was the domain of the shinigami. What interested her was the misfortune of the living, and yet she was compelled to visit the Sanzu of all places. She could still feel the insistent tug, like an excited child, trying to drag her back to that craggy shore.

The curse goddess wondered if one of those embers could tell her, if she could catch on and persuade it to cooperate.

" _When we hear the jabbering of seagulls on the high seas..._ "

Hina blinked, the voice was strained and gravelly, almost sounded like someone in pain. She didn't feel any misfortune near.

" _We know we can't give up our fishing lives on the ocean..._ "

The curse-goddess spun about, trying to spot the owner of the voice. She didn't see anyone, but the first thing that caught her eye was some vegetation caked in some gray powder. Curious, she descended to investigate.

" _Put your backs into it... heave, ho... heave, ho..._ "

Hina pinched some dust off of a nearby bush and ground it between her fingers, "ash..." she muttered. She jumped when an old tree was casually uprooted and shoved aside.

" _Boss, I tell you, the size of this catch of herring-..._ oh, hello there little one," the giant that emerged from the thicket was not one that Hina could recognize. The creature's face was concealed behind a large straw hat, and draped over its shoulders was a singed haori. She got a good look at its exposed chest and arms though, they were covered in some rigid armor, it almost reminded Hina of crayfish.

One arm, large and muscular, carried a crudely fashioned fishing pole made from bamboo. The other arm was withered, and carried a net that looked of questionable quality. The creature looked like some kind of fisherman now that she thought of it.

"I hope I did not startle you, miss," the giant said, voice soft and polite, but it cracked regularly. Hina could barely hear the clicking of mandibles, and tried peering under the hat for a closer look, but all she could see was a scaly chin, "I'm looking to sit down and fish, do you know any good places?"

The question was innocent enough, and Nitori had shown Hina some peaceful places where the kappa would fish for sport. The gentleman (she had to assume given the barrel chest and deep voice) was probably looking to catch himself a meal, "I know a place or two," the curse-goddess said, "I can point you the way."

The giant's shoulders bounced as it let out a jolly laugh, "I appreciate it miss, however I am new to these lands. If it is not inconvenient to you, perhaps you could show me the way?" he asked, "I'll be sure to repay your kindness with my first catch of the day, and fishing is always better with company."

Hina frowned, "I don't think that's a good idea, bad things tend to happen to people when they're around me."

Again, the giant laughed, "it can't be any worse than my last fishing trip," he said between jovial huffs, "I'll take my chances if the young miss is willing to be my escort," he finished with a light bow.

Hina cooed, impressed by the ash giant, "you're very polite sir, I may just have to fulfill your request then. If you'll follow me," the wind blew and she drifted, spinning toward the heart of the kappa valley.

The giant clicked in satisfaction, "by all means," he said, following the curse-goddess closely, "I did not know women could fly, such a strange place I am in."

"Such is Gensokyo," Hina responded, "strangeness is the norm."

The ash giant chuckled, "if everyone can travel like the gulls, Gensokyo is an appropriate name."

"Gulls..." Hina parroted, "seagulls yes? You lived by the sea then?"

The straw hat bobbed in affirmation, "indeed. Me and some friends used to hold fishing competitions out in the bay. The seagulls would always come down to steal my bread."

"There are others like you?" Hina prodded, "I have never seen another youkai like you before."

"Youkai?" the giant asked, "I assure you I am no youkai, miss. I am a simple fisherman."

Hina quirked a brow, spinning to get another look at the ash giant. She noticed that with every step he took the ash caked over his body would flake off in a seemingly endless supply, "I will not question you, but may I ask where you are from?"

The giant's pace faltered for a moment, "... I can't rightly remember," he said after a thoughtful pause, "I remember washing up on this rotten river, stunk of death there. I saved my fishing gear though, so I have what's important. I followed scorched, iced earth to a village, and after getting some fishing hooks they pointed me to this mountain when I asked for places to fish. The locals seemed wary of me, I guess they don't like newcomers?"

His innocence baffled Hina, but his description of the river already rang a few alarms, "that river... you are aware that it was the Sanzu, right?"

The ash giant chuckled, "I realize this is a land of fantasy, but the Sanzu? Preposterous," he answered with a dismissive gesture.

Hina frowned. If this giant is a Sanzu spirit given manifest, then the embers must be of similar origin, "do you remember anything from before you woke up? Anything at all?"

The giant clicked thoughtfully, "a few things. I remember getting ready to head out for a fishing trip, and suddenly the horizon was light up in flames. Then a crack of thunder so horrific, for a while we thought the world was ending right in front of us."

Hina shuddered, imagining the images clearly, "go on."

"Things blur after that," he reached up and scratched his neck, "...it turned black, there were some flashes, I think... then I woke up on that filthy river."

Hina couldn't imagine the strange set of circumstances that caused the spirit's demise, but the ash caking his body suddenly made sense, "was it a volcano?"

"Maybe," the giant said vaguely, "but the past is the past, I'd like to move on and do what I love."

The curse-goddess' smiled, but it was a hollow one. She was speaking with a fugitive, and surely the agents of the enma would be looking to collect the Sanzu's prisoner. She debated leading him back, but she decided against it rather quickly. Until a shinigami came, the least she could do was show the spirit a good time before he went back to that horrid watery purgatory.

"Do you know the Soran Bushi?" the giant prodded hopefully, switching gears to something more positive.

Hina's sad smile was replaced with a more genuine one, "of course! It is a very old shanty."

The ash giant let out a series of enthusiastic clicks, " _even if I row four and a half meters..._ "

" _I couldn't get that girl's attention,_ " Hina sang, her soft voice carrying on the wind.

"You have a lovely voice," the ash giant commented.

Hina let out a laugh, "you are very polite, sir. May I know your name?"

"I merely speak the truth," he said, but the long pause following was clearly one of thought, "I can't seem to remember my name... isn't that silly?"

Hina tried to laugh it off, but she felt a welling sense of pity.

"... can I ask you something, miss?"

"Of course, and please call me Hina."

The ash giant stopped in his tracks, a frown apparent on his partially concealed face, "miss Hina, is this the afterlife? Am I dead?"

* * *

 _We'll be catching up with Komachi and Marisa next chapter, as well as some more fights as I try to get back into the swing of things. I haven't used Danmaku yet, but I reasoned that since Mokou and Reisen were trying to destroy the Hiei Manifestation, they'd just go all out._

 _I hope to take advantage of Reisen's abilities later, but I figured between already being mad and being a coalescence of several hundreds of spirits, the Hiei Manifestation wouldn't be effected._


	3. He is Awake

_Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for the delay. I caught a sinus infection at the end of thanksgiving, and between that, a massive snow storm, and it being the rush season at work, I've been otherwise occupied. I do beg you all forgiveness._

 _However, I have news to go with this story. I'm merging this with the rewrite to Shortcomings Manifest, which technically takes place after I've Got Strings. So for all intents and purposes, this is the rewrite of SM now._

* * *

"I'm sorry."

"There is no need to apologize... I should have realized it."

It wasn't often the curse goddess felt bad about things, especially the misfortune of others. On most occasions she lauded it, enjoying the suffering like a child enjoys crushing bugs or torturing frogs. Yet seeing this lost soul, free from the Sanzu, it was sobering feeling.

She didn't like it.

The fisherman's spirit—the ash giant couldn't stand, and had -upon his realization- taken a seat. The weight on his shoulders was evident, and the soft clicking of his mandibles was the only sound he had made in some time. He reached up several times, feeling his face beneath his straw hat. His fishing gear was forgotten, littering the forest floor, he saw no value in it.

"I wish there was something I could say," Hina said, broadcasting her sense of helplessness to the spirit before her. His were misfortunes she could not touch, as much as she wanted to take them from him.

"It would only make it worse," the spirit said softly, "what am I expected to do now? Do I just wait for a shinigami to claim me? Am I allowed to wander the horizons of eternity? What is left?"

Hina pursed her lips, thoughtful. She puzzled and puzzled, trying to find an answer that satisfied her sudden sense of empathy. The curse goddess regarded the giant's fishing gear, and reached down, picking up the discarded pole and offering it to him, "we could always fish," she answered.

The ash spirit regarded the curse goddess quizzically, but after a few soft clicks he took the pole, "spending an eternity fishing... I suppose there are worse things in the world."

Hina finally allowed a smile to grace her face again, "far worse things, I assure you."

"Are you always so kind to strangers, miss Hina?" the ash giant asked, rising to his feet.

The curse goddess laughed as she spun away from him, "I assure you no, good sir," she found a frown playing on her lips, "it still bothers me that I have no name to call you by."

"I do not know my name," the ash giant responded frankly. He grunted when Hina reached under his hat and flicked him between the eyes.

"That is no excuse," the goddess chided, "it's awfully rude for me to just call you 'sir' all day."

At this the spirit had to agree, but he never considered himself that creative. He was terrible with names, he always swore his firstborn's name would be decided by his wife to spare himself the embarrassment, "I will defer to you then," the ash creature said.

Hina hummed, drifting around the spirit as she scrutinized him, "any preferences?" she prodded.

"Something simple, if you please," the giant responded.

Hina nodded, then lit up. She hurried over and took the spirit's free hand in both of hers, "Ebi!"

The giant blinked, "I do not think-"

"It's decided!" Hina chirped, "until you remember something your name is Ebi! Isn't it just the most adorable name?"

The ash giant, now known as Ebi, found any subsequent protests ignored.

 **=][=**

Moriya Suwako could feel the anxiety looming over her shrine. As she watched a mishaguji lazily slither past her, she could feel a chill run up her spine. There were so many of the serpents, and almost half of them had disappeared. There had been small amounts in the past that would take their leave of the shrine and return weeks later, but to be gone for months now...

The worst part was that there was no news of their activity. Suwako paid the tengu chronicler—Shameimaru Aya, quite the hefty sum to keep reports of the mishaguji between themselves and out of the papers, but as far as she was aware Aya knew nothing. Suwako had made sure to prod her repeatedly, but all Aya could express was ignorance of any current happenings with the white serpents.

"Your brothers scare me," Suwako said, regarding a mishaguji draped over a table next to her tea set. The serpent looked up at her, the malicious fire in its eyes snuffed out long ago, "you are not known for your patience," she continued as if she were asked for clarification, "I can only imagine what they are doing."

The lone mishaguji's head drooped and it quickly drifted back into its lazy state between the dreaming realm and the waking world.

Suwako always likened it to a coma.

Sanae was off looking into any local incidents, Reimu and Kanako had been given the task of tracking down the mishaguji the hard way, leaving Suwako to keep watch on the serpents.

She really didn't want to be alone with all these wicked vipers, they were all so much like their father, and it made her shudder when she dwelt on the past for too long.

The goddess shot out of her seat, trying to shake off the mounting anxiety. The mishaguji nearby gave her a lazy look, but it quickly returned to its weird, borderline comatose state. Suwako took a breath, it was stuffy in here, it was getting hot too. Boy it was hot, her skin felt like it was breaking out. Maybe some fresh air would help?

It was a blur until Suwako made it into the shrine's gardens, the scent of fresh air kissing her nostrils. Such a massive difference from the suffocating, stale air in the shrine. When she got in there again she needed to open some windows. The goddess strolled through the diligently tended gardens, all the work of Kanako. The budding flowers bloomed as Suwako strolled by, and the nearby peach tree started bearing fruit. Suwako smiled, reminiscing to the old days back when she was in her prime.

She kept the earth healthy, she made beautiful forests, every tree and every sprouting blade of grass hand-crafted into a landscape worthy of a goddess of fertility.

Suwako froze when she came upon an overgrown well, totally ruined and just about consumed in vegetation. Beside it was a sword, equally overgrown, the blade black with ancient blood. The goddess felt bile rising in her throat as her heart's pace redoubled.

She could hear the slithering, the stones overturning and the sound of ice crackling. It was getting louder, and louder. Her head darted everywhere, the sound was coming from every angle. From around a tree or a bush she expected something to come.

The sound died when a stray branch snapped under Suwako's foot, her heart was hammering and a cold sweat developed on her forehead. She shivered, feeling a chill overtake her. The nearby flowers closed back up to reflect her mood, and the peaches shriveled away into nothing.

Suwako looked back at the well, and the blade that was sheathed in the soil. There was a dead patch of vegetation around the impact site. She could still hear the sound of it piercing the earth, so very long ago.

"Lady Suwako?"

The goddess nearly jumped out of her skin and whipped around. She expected the worst, some kind of terrible black beast to be looming over her, but all that stood before her was Sanae, looking quite concerned, "are you okay?" she asked.

Suwako's eyes shot open. Sanae must have seen the whole thing. She cursed herself for letting herself be taken by the memories of the past, the terror- she shook her head, "I'm sorry Sanae, the mishaguji have had me on edge," the goddess half-lied, "have you learned anything in your search?"

The shrine maiden nodded, eating up Suwako's words, "yes, I found one thing of note. There was an unnatural mist over the Scarlet Mansion for the duration of the summer, I spoke to all the residents about anything that happened once this mist settled in. There was some erratic behavior from everyone during this period, and the librarian said she saw red eyes lurking within the mist one night."

The patron of the Moriya Shrine nodded thoughtfully, "at least we know what some of them have been doing then. Are they all okay?"

Sanae shook her head, "I would love for that to have been the case, but no. I spoke to the maid, miss Sakuya-"

"How is she doing?" Suwako interrupted.

"Not well, she is grieving over the death of someone she cared deeply for," Sanae answered somberly, "they wouldn't go into detail, but given the circumstances around their residence, I think it is safe to assume our wayward serpents can be blamed."

Suwako's face fell, "I see," just what she needed, more blood spilled on her account, "I should speak to them personally, apologize for what I'm responsible for. Did you at least learn of who... died?" she wanted to say murdered.

Sanae shook her head, "she wasn't in a state to continue speaking with me, I thought it best to leave her be," the shrine maiden rubbed her arm, like she felt a chill, "Lady Suwako, such a mist would take many mishaguji. Why were they all concentrated in one place?"

"I can only imagine," Suwako said, "when did they leave?"

"According to the gatekeeper, the mist dissipated after their friend's demise," Sanae answered.

Suwako couldn't fathom what the mishaguji had to gain with the death of one person. If only she met them—could get a grasp of what the mishaguji saw. Maybe it was nothing at all, and they simply saw an opportunity to sew great suffering. For if Sanae's words were any indication, the stoic maid of the Scarlet Mansion had finally broken composure out of sorrow.

It must have been nigh irresistible opportunity for the mishaguji. A chance to break someone so strong of will, how could they possibly pass that up?

"Lady Suwako," Sanae spoke up again, "what is happening? The mishaguji have never wasted their time with one person, not unless they were valuable. What are they planning?"

Moriya Suwako had no answer.

 **=][=**

Fire was many things.

Fire was passion, fire was hatred, fire was the great equalizer. The memories of flames consuming flesh and bone kept the manifestation of Hiei focused and galvanized. The images of loved ones screaming and dying at the flames of the Oda, their home consumed in an inferno unlike any other, it kept them together.

Embers danced as demonic armor was mended, and the manifestation felt sobered.

The words of the fire dancer struck many of the spirits that made up the manifestation. No way to Kyoto, and nobody willing to help. Madness, surely, but after their surge from that accursed river, could it be that they were still trapped in the realm of the afterlife?

It would certainly explain the forces the spirits were up against, and in a way lend some explanation to the powers the Hiei spirits themselves now wielded. Where once flame consumed them, they could spark infernos and consume flame to add to their strength. The demon armor regarded its clawed hand, ornate and what looked to be crafted by a master. The spirits flexed their fingers, and the form of the armor warped ever so slightly as they lost focus for a spell.

"She should have joined us," the Hiei manifestation said as the many hitodama; the burning souls that made up its form, danced around its azure armor, "her flames added to our own could have consumed all of Japan."

There was a single voice the manifestation let out, one of the strongest wills that guided the others inexorably toward vengeance. That was how it had been, at least. The words of the two women, however, stirred many of the hitodama that made up the manifestation's form. They were conflicted now. What was their vengeance worth if they could not reach Kyoto? The seat from which the great enemy ruled?

There was doubt in some of the minds, and the flames flickered weakly. Was there a point to this?

If there was nothing left for it to pursue, the manifestation reasoned, surely the only path was the one of a peaceful rest. Some feared the transition, if the Sanzu was any indication death was not as peaceful as one would hope.

"I feel it too," the manifestation suddenly said, rising to its feet as embers retreated into its armor, "stray spirits come to join us..."

On cue a small swarm of embers fluttered into view, whirling about each other as they approached the azure armored manifestation. Many voices filled the air, welcomes and comforts were exchanged as they joined the azure flames of the gathered spirits. The manifestation let out a sigh, its flames burning a tad brighter than it had before.

" **Welcome home,** " the spirits said in unison, " **you are safe from the fire here.** "

"Very cute," floated in a voice, applauding the amassed spirits as she drifted out of the forest thicket, "it almost brings a tear to my eye. A shame it's not supposed to be," the redheaded woman smiled as she landed and brandished her scythe.

Many spirits cried out in terror as the newcomer landed before them, but they were hushed by the stronger-willed ones. The demon armor rose to its feet, drawing its shattered blade.

"You know who I am then?" Komachi asked, "good, that makes this easier. Surrender now and return to the Sanzu! Fighting you is a hassle and I have a life!"

" **We will not let go,** " the spirits retorted, " **your Sanzu could not contain the fires of our sorrow, what can a mere shinigami do?** "

" _Mere shinigami?_ " Komachi parroted venomously, "something like _this_! Marisa!"

On the flank of the spirits came a cry of "Master Spark!", there was a bright flash from the brush, and a pure light shot forth and swallowed the Hiei spirits in its radiance. Screams filled the air, much to Komachi's satisfaction, but then the screams turned into a low hum. Thousands of hitodama thrust themselves from the Master Spark, whirling and coalescing at a further distance.

Komachi wasted no time as Marisa's attack flickered out. She shot off of the ground and used her natural ability to close the distance, swinging her scythe cleanly through the ember swarm. Her weapon glowed as several hitodama were consumed by her weapon. The embers whirled, and the upper body of the demon armor manifested, swinging its flaming sword at Komachi and slashing her abdomen with spectral flame. The shinigmai instinctively grabbed her wound to try smothering the pain as the Hiei spirits materialized their legs mid-spin from the slash and kicked her aside in one fluid movement.

Marisa then took the moment to shoot from the brush before the Hiei Manifestation could make its next move. Recalling the stardust spell Patchouli had used against her, she swung her crackling reactor through the air, releasing a nebula cloud in front of her, "try this then!" her reactor hissed as it vented its energy, no longer able to contain it, and Marisa swung it through the nebula cloud in a reverse motion, "Big Bang Crash!"

She didn't like that name too much. She'd think of another one when she used it again.

Hundreds of new micro stars shot from the nebula, caught in the gravity of the other they all flew toward the Hiei Manifestation and Komachi, humming softly with a cosmic heartbeat. The shinigami deftly jerked aside as the micro stars hit home, ripping through the demon armor like real bullets.

"Right on Mari!" Komachi cheered, closing the distance between herself and the demon armor, cleaving cleanly through it and collecting more refugee souls. The demon armor shrieked and drove its broken blade into the shinigami's gut as it fell, the last newborn stars ripping through its form. She let out a pained shriek as they both fell.

"Oh come on!" Marisa shouted, pocketing her reactor. As Komachi and the demon armor fell, the young magician brought her hands together, singling out Komachi so all her focus was on the shinigami as she plummeted, " _arresto momentum!_ "

The manifestation picked up speed, or had Komachi merely slowed down? The shinigami's descent slowed to a lazy drift as the demon armor ripped bits of her clothes off, its momentum unchanged. Komachi busied herself with peeling the spirit blade out of her gut, and the Hiei manifestation slapped against the ground in an explosion of embers.

By the time Komachi landed, the embers had scattered in a panic, flittering in all directions. The shinigami let out an annoyed sigh, "they'll be back, but we did good. It will take time for the manifestation to regain strength."

"What was that thing?" Marisa asked, waving a glowing hand over the shinigami's wound and repairing the damage in an instant.

Komachi nodded in thanks, before offering Marisa the spirit blade of the manifestation, "spirits from the warring states era. There are so many that are still trapped in the Sanzu, crying for release. The innocent, the righteous, and the condemned all commingle in that river. That fire spirit is a manifestation of that strife," she smiled sadly, "the worst part is they all died in the same tragedy."

Marisa glanced into the forest thicket, trying to see if she could spot any embers, "it'll be hard to chase them when they're all split up like that," she observed.

The shinigami nodded, "right, the best thing to do now is look for our other fugitive."

"How do you know there's just one more?" Marisa prodded.

"You're not a shinigami, so it's hard to explain, but there's like an insistent tug in the back of your head," Komachi said, lifting off of the ground. Marisa quickly followed suit, "with the fire spirits weakened, the other power they eclipsed has now been revealed," she pointed her scythe back toward the familiar sight of youkai mountain, "to the Kappa Valley!"

"Why is it always Youkai mountain?" Marisa whined.

"Why'd you call that spell of yours Big Bang Crash?" Komachi jabbed.

The magician fumed at that, "it's a work in progress! I won't know a good name until I shout it. I'm trying to think of a new one anyway, it doesn't have the same ring as Master Spark."

 **=][=**

Meanwhile in the bamboo forest, things were going nowhere fast.

"You know we could have gotten more information if you didn't threaten to exterminate him."

Reimu and Kanako's search was going poorly. They had scoured Gensokyo, but there was little activity on the mishaguji's whereabouts. Shockingly, there was little to go off of. One would expect rampant curse gods to be great news, but between Suwako's secrecy and the fact that the mishaguji simply _weren't doing anything_ had made them as elusive as a tsuchinoko.

Barring the one Marisa kept at home. People paid her to see it.

"For being the ones asking for my help, you people sure like to tell me I'm not doing my job right," Reimu retorted brusquely, "I'll be sure to finally let you be of some use, and interrogate our next target with those cow tits of yours."

Kanako had just about floored the Hakurei witch right there, "you always have to bring up my chest! Are you that jealous?!" the goddess suddenly smirked, "I suppose I would be too in your shoes. Those barren hills of yours are but flat plains compared to me," she pointedly folded her arms under her bosom to make them appear even larger (which most would believe to be impossible).

Reimu, once again red in the face, made a noise similar to an angry dog before retorting, "you may have had a point if they didn't sag like sacks of flour, hag!"

Kanako didn't like that.

This is how it had been since the great fire at the human village. Just bicker, bicker, bicker and one minor disagreement. It was no secret that the Hakurei and Moriya shrine felt no love for each other, but one would expect their mutual enemy would breed some sort of synergy.

All it seemed to do was amplify their differences by one thousand.

"A little brat like you-!" Kanako immediately sucked in a breath, then exhaled to try and regain her senses, "look I know we don't like each other, and I'd love to settle things between us, but I owe it to Suwako to get these snakes wrangled. It's obvious that they're making us even more venomous than usual."

"It's not lost on me that the mishaguji are amplifying our mutual feelings of each other," Reimu responded, "but if you seriously need my help you need to let me do my job. If you owe it to Suwako to stop those monsters, you owe it to her to help me."

Kanako nodded in acquiesce, as much as she mentally vomited doing so. She had to focus on her sense of duty, "I'll follow your lead, Hakurei," she said evenly, trying to keep any mounting ire under wraps, "so what now?"

"We have nothing," Reimu answered, taking a seat on a nearby stone, "everyone we've spoken to is more clueless than we are. Whatever your pet snakes are doing, it's not noticeable. Our only lead was that fire, but that turned out to be just angry spirits."

"You saw all the embers last night though, I've seen a lot, but that many malevolent hitodama all acting at once? You can tell it was them," Kanako countered.

"Which would fit their old style, but you could tell at a glance it was them. Suwako told me that she instructed the mishaguji to leave some signature to their acts. The spirits, it is almost as if they acted of their own accord, I doubt they were influenced by the mishaguji. At best they would have just kicked the beehive."

"Then where was the hive?" Kanako prodded.

Reimu rolled her eyes, "where else? The Sanzu. People say that nothing can leave, but it has happened once or twice. Those with strong enough spirits have escaped. Of course, the shinigami rope them back in before they can strike out."

"But that many spirits? Surely you think it's queer," Kanako responded, "maybe we should go back to the Sanzu, look for clues again."

"Komachi is there every moment, and she told us nothing happened there aside from that poor soul that fell into the river. The spirits always get worked up when the living fall in there," Reimu countered, "going back will bear no fruit."

"What other options do we have?" Kanako retorted, "we may as well retrace out steps and see if there was something we missed."

Reimu let out a sigh, rising to her feet and lifting off, "if you're that set on it, fine, let's go back to the Sanzu."

Reimu expected nothing to come of this. The Sanzu was a dead end, and Kanako had to know it. This was clearly a sign of desperation on her part. All the shrine maiden could do was humor her while she tried connecting the dots herself.

Kanako meanwhile, certainly had the same thoughts, but she was certain that the mishaguji were that initial catalyst for the fire, it was just a matter of finding out what happened then. She had a theory, but she had to go back to the Sanzu, and maybe find some kind of proof.

It was these prevailing thoughts that caused the trip to the banks of the Sanzu to be a silent one. Neither Reimu nor Kanako would speak up about their thoughts, both of them focused on entirely different things.

"Why don't I hear anything?" Kanako spoke up all of a sudden, "look below, the land is desecrated and rotten. Shouldn't I be hearing the Sanzu?"

Reimu snapped out of her reverie, looking down and spotting the familiar landmarks that were the rotten forests that outlined the Sanzu, "yes we should. I hear nothing..." she started to make her descent, Kanako close behind. It was silent, the only thing the girls could hear was their own breaths.

The mist was thick, and Kanako was quick to think it was the mishaguji, but none of the old tells were there. If one was keen of sight, you could see them lurking in the shadows, but this was a natural fog that the Sanzu created.

Reimu landed on the sterile soil, kicking some. It was dried out and dusty, the ground surrounding the Sanzu used to be a rotten quagmire full of cobblestone. Now the quagmire had dried into arid soil.

Goddess and Shrine maiden pressed on, trying to make sense of the whole situation. Then they saw something that was remotely familiar. There lied a corpse, it looked quite fresh, likely tossed out of the river in the rushing waves. Both girls eyed the corpse, and thought nothing of it. But then another one appeared nearby, lying in the remains of what appeared to be a shattered boulder. Like it was thrown into the stone with great force.

Kanako and Reimu exchanged worried glances, and the shrine maiden decided it warranted a closer look.

"What do you see?" Kanako asked, keeping her distance despite herself.

Reimu swallowed a lump. She never thought she'd see the day, "these clothes, all these corpses are dressed like Komachi. I'm sure if we looked hard enough we'd find scythes," she looked ahead, "someone-..." her eyes widened as the mist cleared for a scant moment, and she saw something that shouldn't be.

"Dead Shinigami?" Kanako asked.

"No, no it's worse than that," Reimu answered, blood flushing from her face as she rose to her feet, " _their souls have been ripped out._ "

Kanako had to scoff, "do you know how ridiculous that-?" Reimu ran off before she could finish, "hey! Hakurei!" the goddess chased after the shrine maiden, diving into the mist, "where are you-" it was like passing through a wall. There stood Reimu, staring down into the deepest abyss she had ever seen in her life.

How could she not see it? All the landmarks were there, and they couldn't hear anything in spite of being so close. Now, however, it all made sense.

The Sanzu River was _empty_.

"Th-this is impossible," Reimu croaked, a cold chill overtaking her, "how can an untold number of spirits just vanish?!" the shrine maiden whipped around to face the equally stupefied Kanako, "what is capable of dispatching several shinigami?! Komachi's just a ferryman, how could legitimate shinigami be so easily defeated?! **That's impossible!** "

"R-Reimu calm-"

"How can I calm down?!" the shrine maiden snapped, "do you realize what this means?! The mishaguji were here, at the Sanzu, the whole time! Everything else had to have been a distraction while they accomplished-" she made various gestures to the empty Sanzu, "- _this_!"

One the one hand, Kanako wanted to feel smug that her hunch was right, confirmed by Reimu no less, but she never could have fathomed something of _this_ scale, "I..." she was at an utter loss for words, she couldn't think of anything to say. Never in all her allotted eternity had she imagined that the mishaguji were capable of absconding with every soul that made up the Sanzu's contents.

To accomplish what? If they freed the spirits surely there would have been untold havoc, utter anarchy. Yet what should have been a bang was all done in utter silence, these unfortunate shinigami being the only witnesses, "we could ask the enma-"

"There's no time!" Reimu snapped, "all they'll do is confirm our findings!" she stepped forward, about to continue her rant, but she stepped in something icky. The Shrine maiden snapped her head down, spotting what looked to be slime. It glowed with a sickly green though, which only meant one real thing.

"Ectoplasm," Kanako confirmed, scanning the soil as the mists began to lift, "and it looks like there's more."

Indeed, from the scar in the earth that once was the Sanzu, to the rotten forests ahead, there was a trail of what looked to be ectoplasm, with a large smattering around the area where the shinigami were.

What could have done this?

* * *

 ** _I am intolerably excited for what comes next._** _Fates willing, I will be able to put out the next chapter much faster._


	4. The Black Devil

_I wrote this in one day._

 _No I'm serious, I wrote all this after work. I've been discussing these events with my proof reader ever since I started writing I've Got Strings. I know exactly where this story is going._

* * *

"Why is this so important? What's a couple spirits? They're all over the place," Marisa prodded as she tried to follow the faster Shinigami.

Komachi shook her head, "it's principle. There's a reason these spirits are trapped in the Sanzu to begin with. There is an order to things, even in the afterlife."

The magician still couldn't grasp why a few dozen spirits were important, water slips through the cracks after all, but there was a reason she wasn't a shinigami, and Komachi was, "do you know anything about this new one then?"

"It doesn't work like that, Mari. I don't just magically know what kind of spirit I'm dealing with, but I can feel the entropy that surrounds it. I can feel every one of the Hiei spirits, but it will be easier to wait until they re-unite. Whether they like it or not they will be drawn together," Komachi regarded her scythe, the cool metal now tinged with a soft azure glow, "and since we've collected a few, eventually they will come to me."

"Is this new spirit anything like them?" Marisa prodded, "like do the Hiei spirits still feel separate when they are one?"

The former ferryman let out a soft hum, reaching out with her senses. This slowed her down, allowing Marisa to catch back up, "on some level, yes. There is a difference, but not in the way you're thinking. You can feel the evil energy from the Hiei spirits. This one feels far less malicious."

"You think it will come without a fight?" Marisa asked, lazily laying on her broom and letting the wind have its way with her golden locks.

The shinigami shrugged, "I can certainly hope, but no guarantees."

It was grim work, collecting these spirits. Komachi and Marisa didn't talk much between destinations, the magician choosing to allow the shinigami to focus her senses. Tracking the fugitive spirits were more important, and the sooner Marisa helped her the sooner she could go home and think.

Think of a way to talk to Alice again.

The magician shook her head as Komachi started to descend, following close behind. After saying all those awful things to Alice, some of which Marisa still felt were entirely true, she didn't know how to confront the Romanian again. She was almost content to let her rot in her hovel, make more of those perverted dolls and waste away.

"I want to try talking this one out," Komachi said, snapping Marisa out of her reverie, "just follow my lead, try not to look intimidating."

The magician snorted, "hard to do that, I'm just a sweet little girl," she retorted playfully.

"True, but you've earned a reputation with the red-white. You're as terrifying as any youkai," Komachi said, landing in a brush clearing. Just beyond she could feel the spirit, but she felt something else with it, but she couldn't place it. The shinigami made a motion for Marisa to keep quiet, advancing through the brush to get an assessment of the situation.

Already Komachi didn't like what she was seeing. It was some kind of shrimp-monster, one ugly bastard, but what concerned her was its company. She knew that green hair and wine-colored dress from a few days prior. The curse goddess, Kagiyama Hina.

"This is a wonderful place," Komachi heard the shrimp-monster say, his voice strained and gravelly, "the waters are still and full of life, the only thing I can hear is the singing of the birds and the soft whispers of the wind. I am tempted to call this place heaven, I have never been to a place so serene and verdant."

Hina let out a giggle, "I'm pleased you are so taken with Gensokyo," she said, lazily rolling around on the ground next to her companion, "it truly is a lovely place when you know where to be."

The monster let out a soft chuckle, though it sounded strained, "I believe the company helps, miss Hina. I've never met a woman who wanted to spend time with me fishing. I usually wind up doing this on my own."

The goddess smiled, her cheeks flushing a bit, "oh there are better girls than me, you'll find me bad luck after a while."

"Nonsense," the spirit said, "I get to chat with a lovely thing like you? What man would consider you bad luck? I would say you are quite the good luck charm."

Totally flustered, the goddess couldn't help a giggle, "don't expect your flattery to work on me, young man! Please though, do continue."

"Pardon me while I gag."

Out from the brush stepped Komachi. She tried to make it dramatic, but her dress caught on a twig and tore it, "dammit! Come on!"

Hina shot up, immediately placing herself between the shinigami and her friend, "Komachi, what are you doing here?"

The shinigami grunted in irritation as she turned to face the curse-goddess, "I'm here for your boy-toy, now step aside."

The curse goddess took one glance at her friend, who had a concerned frown on his face, "I-I can't do that," she responded, surprising even herself, but she couldn't find the brakes for her mouth, "I'm not letting you take Ebi!"

At this Komachi let out an amused snort, "Ebi? You named it?"

"Komachi he's right there," Marisa said warily, stepping out of the brush to join the shinigami.

"Ebi is not a thing, he's a kind person and doesn't deserve the fate you intend for him!" Hina said, still quivering nervously. She may be a curse-goddess, but she'd never tried defying a shinigami before. She was prepared for something far worse than a danmaku battle.

"Nice people don't always get what they want," Komachi retorted flatly, "he's a prisoner of the Sanzu and I demand his custody!"

"No!" Hina retorted hotly as the spirit rose to his feet behind her.

"I can speak for myself," Ebi said, striding in front of Hina, "if the shinigami wants me, then she can take me."

"You really want to go back to the Sanzu?" Hina asked, taking the spirit's ash-coated hand, "do you truly desire to waste away in suffocating water while your soul is consumed?"

"Not really," replied Ebi, "but I know when things are not supposed to be, like this second chance. Look at me," he regarded Hina's hand in his own, "I used to be a man, now I look like some sea beast..."

"I won't allow it!" Hina snapped.

Komachi rolled her eyes, giving her scythe another twirl, "don't do this, goddess. You try to avoid others so they don't soak up your bad luck, why is some nameless spirit so special to you?"

Marisa frowned, "Komachi..."

"I don't expect a heartless wretch such as you to understand!" Hina retorted venomously, "I've never had this opportunity before, I will take away his troubles and let him pass on without your intervention!"

"I'm intervening whether you like it or not," Komachi snapped back, readying her scythe, "you want to settle this the old fashioned way or the Hakurei way?"

"Hina I will not-" black roots sprouted from the ground and anchored Ebi's feet to the ground, "Hina?"

"Your move," the goddess said simply, the whites of her eyes beginning to turn black.

"Komachi is this really necessary?!" Marisa cried helplessly, drawing her reactor if only so she could defend herself.

"It's absolutely necessary! I want my ferry job back!" Komachi answered furiously, "I choose the old fashioned way! You can join him in the Sanzu!"

Hina and Komachi both suddenly shifted, facing a southern direction with bated breath. The darkness in Hina's eyes faded, and Komachi felt a great lump forming in her throat.

"I've never felt so much pain," Hina said, the first one to break the ice.

"So much," Komachi said, like she was in a trance, "so many spirits, it's like a void."

"Is it the Hiei spirits again?" Marisa asked, happy that nobody came to blows, "let's go after them and leave these two alone!"

The shinigami shook her head furiously, "i-it's not the Hiei spirits, there's too many. So many I can't even... it's like staring into the deepest pit."

Marisa and Ebi regarded each other, both looking rather concerned.

Komachi immediately lifted off, "Marisa, we need to go, now! We have to find what's causing this!"

The magician sputtered a bit before summoning her broom, "don't rush off again!" she cried, "at least give me a chance to get ready!" she wasn't even all the way on her broom when she made it dart off after the reaper, leaving Hina and Ebi alone.

"What are you feeling?" Ebi asked, dropping to a knee so he was at Hina's level.

"So much pain," Hina said, wringing her hands, "I've felt this pain before, every time I drew near the Sanzu. So much misfortune, and I could do nothing... that's why I need to protect you, you're the first one I'm able to help."

Ebi clicked his mandibles thoughtfully, "then what is so great about this spirit that demanded the shinigami's attention?"

Hina shook her head furiously, "i-it's not one spirit, _it is all of them_."

=][=

In the Bamboo Forest, an unlikely pair grant themselves a small respite from their search.

"You spoke to the Hiei spirits like you knew them."

Fujiwara no Mokou shrugged, "I suppose I do, better than most. The Sengoku age was a grim period, the entire country swallowed in war and conflict. You would spend entire nights, tossing and turning, wondering when the samurai would raid again," the noble let out a tired sigh, "Hiei was one of the most senseless slaughters of the entire war. Most terrible thing I had ever seen the Oda do."

Reisen nodded, the look on Mokou's face deterring her from pressing the subject further. She recognized that look, the tired, world-weary one of someone who had witnessed a terrible thing.

"I hate these powers sometimes," Mokou suddenly said, bringing up a hand. She snapped her fingers and lit an ember on her thumb, "to tell you the truth fire scares me a bit, even after spending all my life embodying it. You have to be so careful, lest it go wild and consume everything," the noble let out another sigh, taking a seat in the grass, "a single spark can end thousands of lives, imagine that."

Reisen shook her head, "that's a very limited perspective, Mokou. Fire's saved many a life during a cold night or a long winter, and in the right hands it can also create. Marvelous, unique things unheard of. Yes it can do monstrous things, but it can also do a lot of good."

At this Mokou snorted, "that's horribly lame," she jabbed with a smile.

Reisen shrugged, "doesn't make it any less-... less true?" the rabbit peered over her shoulder. She felt something, a familiar tingle in her tail. The pressure was sudden, advancing like a great wall. She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped, but thankfully it was only Mokou, "h-hey!" she chirped, trying to hide her anxiety, "I think we should move on!"

Mokou quirked a brow, "what are you-?" a flock of birds was suddenly stirred, cawing loudly in distress as they flew overhead. The forest canopy was thick, but they could be heard very plainly. Then came the deer, bursting from the brush and rushing past the two.

If Reisen's tail was quivering before, her butt was outright vibrating now. From between the brush came a light mist, yet it was somehow thick enough to disturb the flora. Then from the forest shot several familiar blue embers.

Hitodama.

Mokou thought it was the Hiei demon, back for another round. However, she could faintly hear the cries of terror, the volume of a frantic whisper surrounded by some pathetic blubbering. She jerked back when the brush was parted by a large hand, followed by another. The mist clung to the obsidian form possessively as it strode into the light with two mincing steps. It was hunched at first, a tad shorter than her. Then it rose, and rose, and rose. Mokou could only gape at the sight.

It was a terrible thing. As black as the first sin, yet looming and powerful. There were deep wounds and gashes in its body, emitting a foul emerald glow. Exposed bones jutted from the monster, and even portions of its face were so rotten, crisp white bone could easily be seen. Its abdomen was especially offensive, the demon looked like a gutted fish, with torn strands of flesh dangling where its stomach should be. The demon's eyes were lit with a piercing emerald, utterly empty and devoid of any substance or intelligence. It was covered in scales, decidedly reptilian in nature, but it had the body of man.

Mokou didn't even look at Reisen, who immediately drew her pistol and pointed it squarely at the shadow's head. The stench it emit was awful, it made her want to run just to escape the rancid odor, but there was a familiarity in that stench. The rabbit remembered that waterlogged smell, though at the time it was shoddily concealed by topsoil.

The demon opened its mouth, and a glowing green bile poured from its mouth like a fountain, followed by a sickly green mist leaking from its mouth and nostrils. Even its mouth was green.

Then it exhaled.

It sounded like a thousand people all breathing in unison, and this was followed by a few incredibly faint whispers. Mokou, or Reisen for that matter, couldn't make any of them out, but they could hear the muffled sounds the shadow beast emit.

Mokou shuffled to the left, planting herself firmly between the shadow and Reisen, "Udongein, go."

The monster's head jerked in Mokou's direction, and she could feel its emerald eyes peering into hers.

Reisen couldn't move.

"Udongein, go!" the noble snapped as the beast exhaled in a chorus once more. She jerked her head to the side, peering over her shoulder. Reisen's eyes were wide with terror, "I said go!"

A strained snarl emerged from the shadow, earning Mokou's full attention. The monster's throat shifted, like it was swallowing a large lump, and the fountain of bile ceased. The whispers stopped entirely, and for a moment all was silent.

" _Aaaah_... I remember you... fire-spitter...!"

Mokou blinked, peering into the monster's dead eyes, "fire-spitter...?" then she felt four stabbing sensations in her chest. Embers flew from the girl's mouth, but a terrible cold overtook her, snuffing the flame out and sapping her breath before she could attack.

Reisen immediately started firing at the demon's arm, but all that resulted was the telltale pinging of ineffective bullets bouncing off of hard, reptilian armor.

The monster hefted Mokou into the air, its claws digging deeper and deeper into her, "did not return for you," it said, snarling voice rising to a chorus, "but... _aaaah_..." its sick vapor breath kissed Mokou's bewildered face, swallowing her in the scent of grotesque bile as it began to drip off of the monster's chin, "you deserve this," the monster flexed its large fingers, gouging deep holes into Mokou's body. She let out a shriek before being carelessly tossed aside like a ragdoll.

The lunar rabbit tossed her gun aside, her eyes beginning to shine a bright red as the black devil advanced, "if you're who I think you are, it seems you didn't learn your lesson the first time! Take a good look at my eyes, demon!"

The monster did so, and stumbled, immediately falling to its knees. Its breath grew frantic as it stared into Reisen's eyes, almost like it was panicking, fearful. Then a fireball slapped the black devil's face, causing it to reel and break eye contact.

The monster roared in defiance, fear evident in its tone. It still feared flame, which made Mokou smirk as she readied another fireball, "what's wrong? Scared of lighting up, corpse?!" she hurled another fireball at the demon, who threw up its arms to protect its face from the flames. The mist that clung to it shot forth, striking the fireball and smothering it, reducing it to a cloud of smoke.

Mokou gaped, Reisen gaped, as the black devil regarded the mist surrounding it, watching as the vapor lurched forward and smothered the burning grass in front of it, clearing the way. The demon let out a sick sound of satisfaction, and shot forward.

It was a black blur that left behind a streak of emerald light and white mist, slamming into Mokou and rolling with her in tow into the brush. The demon planted its feet on the ground, taking the fire-spitter by the hair and swinging her into a tree with such force it snapped in half, while Mokou flew helplessly into the brush. Then Udongein had caught up, rushing the demon while it turned and climbed up its trunk-like arm, grabbing her spare pistol and firing wildly into its open gut. Blood and glowing green mucus (for lack of a better descriptor) poured from the bullet wounds, as the black devil tried grabbing the lunar rabbit. She expertly kicked off just as his large hand drew near, clutching a shot and nailing the demon right in the eye. The demon howled and its hand shot up to its weeping eye, black, pus-like blood oozing from the wound.

Somehow Mokou recovered, her white shirt stained with her own blood. She charged up, another fireball ready, and planted it into the monster's gut while it was occupied with Udongein. The fireball exploded, making embers fly from the festering wound in the monster's body, as well as its open mouth. Reisen darted in once more, trying to cover Mokou as she tried to escape, but the black devil was waiting specifically for her. Its arm thrust out and caught her head, throwing her against the ground with enough force to sink into the charred soil. As she struggled to climb out, the demon casually punted her, its hard shin knocking the wind out of her as she was cast aside.

"Reisen!" Mokou cried, willing all of her power and hurling it at the black devil in a steady stream of white hot flames. The demon called upon its mist, trying to smother the flame, but it could feel the heat, and instinctively started to fall back. Mokou pressed her advantage, praying that Reisen could recover from the strike. A tree behind the mist shook violently, and it audibly snapped. The free fell for a moment before its momentum shifted, swinging into Mokou and batting her through the flame and into the brush.

Before she could even get up, the mist shot forth like a predatory serpent, biting into her ankle and dragging her toward the waiting black devil. Mokou desperately threw several fireballs, all of which were snuffed one by one. Out of the corner of her eye, the noble saw Udongein, struggling to pick herself up off of the ground, "Reisen run!"

Udongein was in a daze, the world almost blurry as she struggled to regain her breath. She could hear them fighting still, Mokou screaming. She needed to help! The rabbit slowly got up, in spite of her lungs aching in protest as she righted herself. She saw the demon hunker over the struggling Mokou, salivating all over her. Mokou kept kicking wildly, spraying fire in the monster's face, but suddenly the black devil was undeterred where it once feared her fire.

Summoning all of her strength, the rabbit made one last dash. She saw the demon dive down, snapping its jaws at Mokou, who somehow managed to keep worming out of the way. It kept going for her neck, its disgusting bile-saliva splashing around them.

Reisen drew her pistol, but her hands were quivering. She had to stop to take aim, lining up the sights squarely with the monster's head. She fired, and watched as the bullet pinged harmlessly. That sound, that infuriating sound! She fired again, only to be met with that same sound, and the sour feeling of despair welling in her throat. The demon had finally sunk its foul teeth into Mokou, shaking its head like a dog and mauling her throat, Reisen could hear her desperate gasping, her intense flames dying down to sparks.

The lunar rabbit screamed, pulling the trigger with all abandon, "come on! I'm right here! Take me! Attack me!" she cried desperately between shots, " **just let her go!** "

The pistol was empty now. All the hammer was doing was clicking harmlessly every time she pulled the trigger. Reisen blinked, feeling a chill sweep over her. Mokou's body was limp, a bloody mess as the black devil picked her up and sunk its teeth into her soft abdomen. The wet sound of her flesh tearing made the rabbit want to vomit, her throat burned as bile shot up her throat, but she immediately forced it back down.

She made herself watch the demon consume her friend, baptize itself in her immortal blood and drink her life-essence. The black devil greedily lapped at its fingers, panting heavily, like it was on the verge of starving before it got Mokou.

She would come back, Reisen had seen her die before at Kaguya's hands and come back the next week for more. This shouldn't be any different from those times. Watching this thing, this monster that looks like it came screaming out of one of Kaguya's horror manga, tearing apart someone she had gotten quite fond of over the last few days...

The sinking sensation she felt was almost overwhelming.

She blinked and the demon was in front of her, what was left of Mokou dangling from its mouth, dripping all over the monster and the ground. Mokou's dead eyes were staring her in the face, utterly helpless.

Reisen turned and ran. The black devil pursued. She couldn't do it, she couldn't keep fighting this horrid thing. That look in Mokou's eyes, she'd seen it in so many friends during the lunar war, the blood, the youkai laughing as they gorged themselves on her friends. The rabbit blinked away the tears, running as hard as she could. Her heart was hammering, threatening to explode, but she kept running. She dove through the thick brush, trying to throw off the black devil, but it so casually tore through it, slowing down only a fraction.

She was weeping openly now. The only option she had was to give the demon another dose of the lunatic eyes, but she'd have to stop to do that, and she was under no illusion that the monster would allow itself to make eye contact. If she slowed down even for a moment, the demon would take her by the head and rip it off.

She could feel the mist closing in around her.

 _Run little rabbit! Run and find rescue!_

 _**Run before the Black Devil eats you too!**_

She cried out pathetically when her legs started to turn to jelly, she could feel the demon right on top of her. Reisen stumbled and her eyes welded shut.

The sound of cracking bone filled the air, but there was no pain with it. The rabbit snapped her eyes open, hoping to surprise the shadow with her lunatic eyes, but it was nowhere nearby. She saw a giant, cracked wooden beam of some kind. Just behind it was the demon, picking itself up off of the ground.

"The trail ends here, and we find a monster. It's almost cliché," came a familiar voice from above.

"I can feel their presence," said another, more mature voice, "see how the mist clings to that abomination so intimately? That is their slave, no question about it."

In front of Reisen landed two women. One was very recognizable, the famed red-white, Hakurei Reimu. The other she had never seen, but she had heard of her. The goddess of the Moriya Shrine, Yasaka Kanako.

Udongein had found her rescue.

* * *

 _The scene with Mokou was going to be a whole lot more brutal, but I'd like to keep this as T rated as possible._

 _It's probably M already because of what's there, buuuut..._

 _See you all next chapter!_


	5. I Am My Own Master Now

_Hello again readers! Just going to let you jump right in!_

* * *

The demon let out a cold, vaporous breath. The bile pouring from its mouth had all but died, and it lapped off what smatterings of blood remained on its face, " _aaaah..._ they speak of you," the monster hissed at Kanako, "you are the... _aaaah..._ usurper."

Kanako snorted, "usurper?" she parroted, clouds rumbling overhead as they swirled high above the goddess and the demon, "you really are their slave to believe that!"

"A slave is easily replaced," the Black Devil retorted with finality. Lightning flashed above, ending the exchange once and for all. The demon hurled forward, and Kanako was eager to meet it. They clashed together, but the Black Devil's momentum easily overpowered her own. The monster took Kanako by the shoulders and slammed her into the ground, then reared its fist back. The goddess kicked the demon's feet out from under it, taking its head the moment it was in reach and planted it into the patch of charred soil beside her. She leapt to her feet and summoned a pillar, bringing it down on the demon the moment she saw it start to stir.

Reimu, meanwhile, busied herself with the haggard rabbit, "you okay, Reisen?" she asked, helping her to her feet while the demon was occupied with Kanako.

Reisen held her side, but nodded, "a few broken ribs, some sprains. Other than that I'm still feeling pretty energetic."

"Then take that energy and get out of here," Reimu said flatly, "we'll handle this."

Reisen glanced back at the scuffling demon and Kanako, spotting a familiar bloody mess near them, "Mokou," she said, pointing at the heap next to the Black Devil's shuffling feet, "we gotta get Mokou out, give her time to heal."

Kanako took the demon by the head and hurled it over her shoulder, only for the monster to sink its teeth into her forearm as it planted its talons in the soil, swinging its neck and smashing her into a fallen tree.

Reimu saw an opportunity, "stay back, I got her," she drew her gohei and hurried over to what was left of Mokou, which sadly wasn't much. She'd heard of the noble's durability, however, so there must have been hope if Reisen was fussing over her, "you've seen better days," the shrine maiden muttered as she scraped together Mokou's shredded remains

A set of sharp claws dug into the shrine maiden's skull and yanked her away from the bloody mess, swinging her about and smashing her head into Kanako's. They collided so hard Reimu almost felt them switch bodies. The shrine maiden had been through worse, though, and recovered quickly. Wielding her gohei like a club, Reimu whipped around and swung it into the Black Devil's face, smacking it square in the jaw and cracking its strange, plate-like teeth. The demon spun and hurled Reimu into Kanako. The enraged goddess easily caught the shrine maiden and carelessly tossed her aside, conjuring another pillar and driving it into the demon's flank. The Black Devil dug its talons into the soil, digging its claws into the wooden construct, and with a mighty grunt swung the pillar into Kanako, sending her careening into the forest thicket.

Reisen was the next person to try grabbing Mokou, picking up where Reimu left off and successfully collecting her remains, "come on, we'll get somewhere safe-" she turned around and bumped into the rotting body of the demon, who whipped around to lock eyes with the rabbit. She immediately used her lunatic eyes, stunning the creature long enough to put some distance between each other.

Reimu had recovered by this point, and decided to take advantage of the demon's incapacitated state. She drew a circle with her gohei, feeling the sealing glyph form around her. It was all or nothing, if this didn't work she wasn't sure anything would. She reared her arm back and made a stabbing motion with her gohei, and several sharp prisms of light shot forth, reaching out and coiling around the monster's body. Reisen finally released the demon and ran, leaving the battlefield in favor of returning to eintei.

Finally free, the Black Devil struggled against its newest set of bonds. The light mist clinging to it began to thicken as Reimu's sealing glyph glowed with great intensity, " _Divine Arts!_ " she called out as what could only be described as burning spearheads appeared around the monster, " _Omni-Directional Demon Binding Circle!_ " the shrine maiden reached out and clenched her fist, and the demon was assaulted from all sides.

The monster was quickly swallowed in a cloud of smoke, but Reimu could hear every strike pelt the demon's hard scales. Her sealing glyph moved forward and shifted, trapping the monster within its confines. Then it shrunk, getting smaller and smaller until it constricted around the Black Devil's rotten body. The smoke dispersed as the ring started to spark, shocking the rotten beast as it cried out in rage at this latest set of bindings. The monster roared in an agonized chorus, billions of spirits crying out with it as it struggled against its bindings. Then the demon fell silent, its eyes turning black, but the chorus remained. Then it died until there was but one scream, that of a woman.

The light that burned deep within the Black Devil's twisted flesh burned with newfound intensity, and the demon melted into vapor., leaving behind an azure spirit. The spectral woman cried out as the binding circle clenched on her and obliterated her in an intense white flash.

Reimu's arms fell to her side. That was not how it was supposed to happen. She heard a deep hiss, and could only watch as the black vapor that pooled on the ground began to slither along the ground like a wicked serpent, quickly followed by the mist of the mishaguji. The coalesced shadow rose, and solidified into the Black Devil. The demon flexed its remaining muscles, rolling its fingers as it marveled at its own ability.

Where was Kanako?

On cue a pair of arms shot up from under the demon's, taking it by the head and putting it in a solid full-nelson lock, "don't just stand there you idiot! Keep fighting!" the goddess put as much pressure as possible on the demon's head, trying to give the shrine maiden time to escape.

"We can't win like this, Kanako! If my binding circle didn't work-"

"We have to destroy it!" the yamato goddess roared over the demon's own snarls and guttural howls, "I will not let the mishaguji have sway over this abomination!"

From behind Kanako the familiar mist rose like a serpent, shifting and contorting before taking the form of a great hand. It flexed its fingers silently, a single warning to the only person watching.

"Kanako let it go!" Reimu cried.

The white hand took Kanako by the torso, and its pulling gave the demon enough of a reprieve to wheel its hard skull into hers, sending the goddess into a daze while the rotten beast slipped from her grip. Reimu immediately tried lifting off of the ground, but the demon shot up and caught her by the throat, landing and slamming her into the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of her.

Kanako's pillar formed and crashed into the demon's skull, but as it was knocked off of Reimu a white tendril shot from the mist and caught the wooden construct, coiling around it and, with some effort, snapped it in half.

The Black devil returned its attention to the belligerent goddess, charging into her with its hard shoulder while the white hand restrained her. The demon charged into her again, this time delivering a hard punch to her abdomen. Then it took a step back and backhanded her, waiting until she brought her head back up to drive his fist into her face. The demon continued this process until not a sound was leaving the Goddess, her teeth clenched and her eyes shut tight. The demon lifted her chin with a sharp claw, and let out a vaporous breath, the odorous condensation kissing her face and making her gag with its rotten smell, "you are goddess?" it asked incredulously, "then what- _haaa_... what would you call me?" Kanako spat on the demon's face, who instantly reeled in surprise. Then it swung its claws, slashing cleanly across her face and leaving three generous streaks on her once-perfect countenance. The demon took her by the hair and brought its fist into her gut, "where is your power?" it asked her, almost as if it truly was trying to compel her to retort.

The lack of response from Kanako earned another fist deep in her abdomen, " _where is it?!_ " the Black Devil prodded again, forcing her head down and swinging its arm back like a pendulum. It granted her a single second to open her mouth, but the proud goddess refused, and so it swung its fist into her face. The goddess' head whipped back with a resounding crack, and fell to the ground in a in a broken heap.

"Kanako!" the shrine maiden was not idle, but she did her best to look helpless for the demon as it advanced on her. She expected a beating of similar caliber, but the monster merely brought her chin up and inspected her face thoughtfully, "I... I remember," it said, its once strained breathing coming under control, " _you are Rei._ "

Rei?

There was a flash in the canopy, the fantasy orbs she had prepared for the demon fizzled out at the monster's name for her. There was only one person who-

A readhead shinigami dropped from the canopy and swung her scythe, cleaving cleanly through the demon's throat. Reimu gasped when another tormented spirit was forced from the demon's flesh, but it was just one.

One in a number that she couldn't possibly fathom.

The monster's wound instantly sealed as it turned on its heel and grabbed Reimu's arm, swinging her into the intruder without warning. The shrine maiden and the shinigami cried out from the collision, and much to the shrine maiden's shock she fell with her instead of being yanked back to the demon's side.

"Hey beautiful, come here often?"

Reimu scowled as she regarded the shinigami she now lied on top of, "Komachi," she seethed, hurrying off of the snickering woman, "this is not the time for games!"

Onozuka Komachi laughed and hauled herself to her feet, "it's really not, but it's good for stress," she picked up her scythe and placed herself between Reimu and the Black Devil, "and I'm gonna be stressed for a good while," the demon hissed in retort, beating its chest with both hands in a goading motion.

"It took the souls of other shinigami!" Reimu said hastily, "you can't win on your own!"

Komachi smirked, "who said anything about being alone?"

The canopy above rustled violently, there was a few snapping twigs, followed by some fearful screaming. A familiar black and white blob dropped from above, crashing into a bush right behind the demon. The monster dropped to all fours and scrambled away, trying to keep even distance between itself and its foes. There was a pained hiss, "why did I jump...?" with some effort, out from the brush popped a familiar magician, "sorry I'm late!" Marisa greeted, producing her crackling reactor and carefully stepping into the clearing, "Komachi keeps outrunnin' me!"

"Not my fault you're too slow," the shinigami jabbed, "can't keep pace with death."

The magician brushed off her words with a dismissive gesture, "sure," she gave Reimu a wink, which the shrine maiden returned with a smile.

For once, Reimu was happy to be surrounded by friendly faces. After the absolute thrashing the demon gave Kanako, she wasn't certain she'd be able to get out of this alive. With Komachi and Marisa here, however, they really had a fighting chance now, surely with their strength combined they had good odds of defeating this Black Devil and ending its madness before this incident took deeper root.

That was dashed when Marisa took one look at the monster she was about to face.

Marisa dropped her reactor, letting the thing fizzle out without a care. All her will to fight evaporated in an instant, for she looked upon the demon that had Reimu against the wall and saw her greatest mistake. She saw the lumbering beast she tried to spare from death, she saw the smiling little boy clinging to his mother's dress, she saw the lost and confused young man who followed Sakuya like a shadow.

Now he stood before her as a rotten monster, and if Komachi was to be believed the source of Gensokyo's woes. She tried to help him and damned him, she tried to make the most of it with him, and he was twice damned thanks to Remilia.

It was like looking at a ghost, and for a moment she considered the possibility, but after seeing Reimu in the scuffed up and bruised state she was in, and the broken body of the Yamato goddess, she realized that there was no ghost, only a demon.

She wanted to hear his voice, she had to hear his voice, to know if it was really him, "A-Adam?" she croaked pathetically, her voice barely carrying. It was getting hard to see, she blinked and felt tears leave the corner of her eyes.

The Black Devil blinked at Marisa, and tensed, immediately averting eye-contact, " _I..._ " it said in a chorus, only to snarl, "I did not choose..." it said in a single, shamed voice as it forced its emerald eyes back to the magician, "need this," it let out a deep, vaporous breath, "make things right."

It really was him.

Fate was so incredibly cruel to her.

"This isn't right," Marisa retorted, her hands trembling, "this will never be right! None of this is! Look at what you're doing, look at what you did to Reimu!" she fell to her knees as her vision was obscured with more and more tears, "l-look what we did to you..."

Komachi gave the magician a concerned look, "Marisa you can't do this now, we need-"

"I can't fight him!" Marisa snapped, "I can't do it! I can't! I won't fight him! He's been through too much!"

Reimu couldn't believe it, she looked at this monster; this rotten abomination, but it looked nothing like the adorable little child she knew. Marisa's reaction, however, told her that this was him. This was what was left of Alice's son, Adam, and he was under the yoke of the mishaguji, of all things.

Of course it had to be them.

One look at Adam showed that he had lost his will to fight just as much as Marisa had, the hurt, frustrated expression on his face betraying the whirlwind of emotions stirring in his heard, "let me go," he said, " _aaah..._ need to..."

"Please stop this," Marisa begged, unable to bring herself to even look at the end result of her innocent sin, "I've suffered enough nightmares without it becoming real! Please just stop so we can be happy!"

Adam shook his head, "I can't."

Marisa looked up at the obsidian hulk, "you can," she tried to reaffirm, "you can stop this whenever you want!"

"No!" Adam snapped at the magician, making her flinch, " _I am my own master now!_ " his hand shot to his chest, and he let out a strained wheeze, a sick bile flowing from his mouth once more. The monster snarled, giving himself a shake as the light in his core flickered for a moment.

"You are more a slave now than you have ever been, demon!" Komachi shot back, "I can feel the wickedness of those curse gods, latched to your soul like a parasite!"

"Adam," Reimu called, trying to use the gentle approach. If it really was Alice's child, maybe there was a way to end this without any more blood,"please listen to us and back down, we can help you."

The demon snorted derisively, having lost too much air in his overworked lungs to retort with words. Instead he took a step forward, which made everyone save Komachi a step back.

"Don't do this," Reimu warned, "don't throw away your second chance."

" _Third,_ " Adam corrected as he exhaled.

"Marisa we need you right now!" Komachi snapped, "we can't fight without you!"

"I won't do it! Not him, anyone but him!" the magician roared back. She was almost trembling, her heart hammering so hard it threatened to explode. A reassuring hand found its way on her shoulder, but Reimu and Komachi were right in front of her. She jumped immediately upon the realization, her head snapping toward the owner.

Golden locks, a sterling white dress with royal purple tabard, and a luxurious parasol. Marisa couldn't believe her eyes, Reimu just about had all the breath sucked out of her, and Komachi merely quirked a brow. Yakumo Yukari had taken the stage, striding silently toward Adam with no semblance of fear.

Adam took a step back as she drew near, but she offered him a smile he new well, that kind, yet knowing smile with a spice of mischief. She looked genuinely happy for some reason, which made the homonculus' thoughts grasp for some kind of reason.

"I never thought I'd get to see you again," the gap-youkai said, softly so only they could hear, "look at what that cursed purgatory has done to you," she reached up and placed her palm on Adam's bony cheek, which made him flinch and snap his eyes shut at the contact. The demon opened them again when her hand lingered, caressing him comfortingly, "I know what you intend to do," she said lowly, "let me help."

"Help?" the homonculus asked incredulously.

"Remember what I can do?" she asked, a gap opening beside her. She took off her hat and tossed it into the void, only for a gap to open above her, and her hat found its way back on her head without a fuss, "I can take you exactly where you need to be."

At this Adam nodded, his shoulders tightening, "take me to them."

"Yukari what are you doing?!" Reimu snapped.

The youkai opened a gap that rivaled Adam's size, and she motioned for the homonculus to step through. He immediately did so without a word, completely trusting her. She waved a friendly goodbye and closed the gap, looking quite satisfied when she turned to the other girls.

"Where did you send him?!" Reimu shouted, running up and jabbing Yukari with an accusatory finger, "where is he?!"

The gap-youkai rolled her eyes and slapped Reimu's hand away, "I'm guessing a thank you is out of the question then. The short answer is that he's exactly where I want him to be, and I've saved you all from being harvested like the souls of the Sanzu."

The shinigami snorted, "now we got to find him again, just tell me where to find that demon and I'll find some people who are willing to help," she glared at Marisa, who only sat on the ground, totally devoid of her usual fire as she hugged her knees to her chest.

Yukari smiled at Komachi, and the shinigami felt herself becoming incredibly small beneath her, "now now, you will get your chance to face dear Adam again, now is not the time, however."

"You have a plan then?" Reimu prodded, still quite miffed by the circumstances, "I'm thankful, but this doesn't feel right. And again, where did you send him?"

"Not a plan really, just stalling for time," again, Yukari could only offer a smug, satisfied smirk, "and he's _exactly_ where I want him to be."

 **=][=**

She was finally here.

It took almost a month for her to navigate the forest of the lost, but she'd finally done it. With the help of that little shadow youkai, Flandre Scarlet had finally located the residence of Alice Margatroid, the mother of her dearest love.

The house definitely looked like it had seen better days, however. There was this giant gaping hole on the second floor, and the porch was overgrown. The front door looked like it had been left open, as there were plenty of signs of bears and other wildlife wandering in. The little vampire was undeterred, however, and made her way to the door, taking care to fold her parasol once she was completely concealed beneath the veranda.

The inside was even worse than the outside. The place looked like it had been ransacked recently. The signs of wildlife were ever-present, but it also looked like there had been quite a few fights, and if the kitchen was any indication someone tried burning the place down, "hello?" the younger scarlet called, "miss Alice?"

The magician was nowhere on the first floor, so Flandre decided to take a trip up to the second floor, and things got all kinds of surreal.

There was stuffing everywhere, even in just the hallway. Shredded black cloth littered the place, contrasting nicely against the whiteness of the stuffing, "Miss Alice?" the vampire called again, stepping carefully through the halls and inspecting every room.

In one room, Flandre found a little blonde doll with a dead gaze, she almost looked like a little Alice. The vampire reached out and touched her face, cold, but it felt like flesh, "h-hello," she greeted nervously, "can you understand me?"

The doll's eyes shifted lazily, looking at Flandre, "go away," she said weakly.

"I can't," Flandre responded, "I need to save Adam, and miss Alice is gonna help!"

The doll shook her head, "she will not help, she has lost all hope."

The vampire frowned, but a smile graced her soft lips, "don't worry! It's always darkest just before the dawn! I'll save Adam and we can all be together again!"

The doll nodded in understanding, but her morose expression remained, "I... would like that," she said, "I miss Adam."

The vampire nodded, her smile fading, "I miss him too, but that's why we need to find him and bring him to a safe place! I'll bring him here and we can be a big family!"

"Why are you here?"

The vampire turned around, her ruby eyes meeting the lifeless blue of Alice's narrowed eyes. Boy those bags were terrible! When was the last time she took a nap? It made Flandre herself want to take a nap. She kind of smelled too, but nothing a bath wouldn't fix! "Miss Alice!" Flandre chirped, "I've been looking all over for you!" she gave the magician a once over. Her clothing was dingy and her hair had grown past her shoulders, she looked like a bigger version of the doll beside her!

The magician quirked a brow, "why?" she asked, her voice devoid of any emotion. Boy, she was like a doll now!

"You're gonna help me save Adam and bring him to a safe place!" Flandre said happily.

Alice breathed sharply, her eyes going wide, but she quickly dashed all reaction in favor of stoicism, "there's nothing left to save, I researched so much, but save for special circumstances nothing leaves the Sanzu. Adam does not fall into those circumstances."

"Not with that attitude!" Flandre retorted hotly, "we have to try! Hope is all I have left!"

The magician tilted her head, wondering to herself why the little vampire that she originally made Adam for cared so deeply for him, "why?"

Flandre pouted at Alice's questions, "can't you just believe me? It's because I'm in love with him!"

"In love?" Alice asked, totally unconvinced.

"O-of course I am! He's so kind and gentle, what girl wouldn't fall for him?" the little vampire offered another smile as her cheeks grew hot, "he's such a gentleman, it was only natural I offered him my first kiss," she turned away, hugging her arms close to herself as her wings chimed gleefully, wrapping around her as well, "a-among other things."

Alice's eye twitched, "this is a great conversation to have about my baby."

The vampire unfurled herself from her self-embrace, "then let's shut up and go get him back!" she prodded again, "I'm certain we can talk to somebody who can help!"

"I already tried with the shinigami, I got laughed off," Alice said bitterly.

Flandre nodded, but she already had a solution, "my stupid buttface sister told me what to do in those situations: you act really mad and demand to see their manager! Either they fold or you make their boss do what you want!"

At this the magician blinked, folding her arms thoughtfully. She didn't think of that, "so talk to the enma?"

"Or whoever their boss is!" Flandre responded.

Alice nodded, "I will try, for his sake, nobody else's."

Flandre Scarlet would look back on this day and call it a victory.

* * *

 _This chapter took longer to write than I anticipated. I revised the fight several times, but what took the longest was Marisa's reaction to seeing Adam again (if you don't know who he is you should REALLY read I've Got Strings), I'm still not really satisfied with the end result, but this is one of those things that I simply won't be able to put into text the way I imagine it._

 _I rewrote that whole scene about six times, and after asking my proofreader I was advised to just present this version, as he said he enjoyed it. Maybe I'm just being too harsh? You be the judge._

 _I hope to see you all next chapter!_


	6. Home is Where Hate is

_Hello everyone, life's taken a strange turn for me. Laid off at my job, compromised relationships, it got to me. I've had a hard time motivating myself to do things. However, I've been getting back up to speed, even though I still don't have a new occupation. I wanted to post this early so everyone knew I was back in action. Well, everyone who cares heh._

* * *

The idea had stricken Adam that Yukari would likely betray him like everyone else, but he had to admit he was surprised when he was just spat out in another location by the gap. He expected to be back at the Sanzu, or some place far worse. Perhaps she did hold to her word.

 _What have you done?!_

Adam smacked the side of his head, letting out an annoyed hiss to try and dismiss the shouting in his skull. This was what he wanted, this was why he was here. He had to go back, he had to hurt them all, he had to make it all right again.

 _You just let the goddess lie! She will return! You should have harvested her!_

Adam found himself striking his skull again, trying to rid himself of the incessant nagging of his allies. He scanned the forest, giving the humid air a sniff as he tried to regain his bearings. Where once the serpents guided him, now they offered nothing as some kind of petty punishment for going with Yukari's offer. With a tired sigh the homonculus sank his claws into the nearest tree and started his ascent, just as the serpents piped up again.

 _You have to go back, we have to destroy her!_

Adam ignored them, and the insistent tug in the back of his mind that tried pulling him down. He would not stop, not until he knew where he was.

 _How can you trust the youkai whore so easily?!_

The homonculus faltered a bit, for all he knew she spat him as far away from his revenge as she possibly could have. He didn't want to believe it, however. There had to be someone in this world, who was kind to him and genuine in it. For his own sake, he had to believe Yukari was genuine.

 _We can deal with your masters another time!_

" _You promised!_ " Adam snapped, the bile in his mouth splashing against the tree he was anchored to, "you promised... _haah_... promised me this," he felt his arms almost give, and sank his claws as deeply into the tree as he could. He had to take a deep breath, suck in as much air as he could. Such things hit him hard, it was infuriating, "you told me her flesh..." he faltered once more, and had to stop. He needed to rest for a moment, it had been nothing but movement since he escaped.

Adam, with some effort, wrenched his claws from the tree and continued his ascent. He quickly found a sturdy branch in the heart of the forest canopy and laid himself out upon it. He was struck with a feeling he only felt when mama came to see him, the sensation of great weight effortlessly sliding of his shoulders.

Then he heard a hissing.

It wasn't the sound of an animal, it was too persistent. It was actually quite familiar, it reminded him of when he watched Sakuya cook him breakfast, though there was no pleasant smell to go with it. Adam blinked, feeling a tickling in his ribs, and looked down. His exposed flesh in his rotten abdomen was sizzling, which made him cock his head. The homonculus shifted on to his side for a better look, staring at his hissing innards curiously. Right before his eyes his flesh was growing back, and soon scarlet sparks starting shooting from the old flesh as his skin crackled. The homonculus jolted up in shock, but the familiar feeling of regeneration made him settle. He took a breath, his eyes widening at how full it felt, so used to the scant, almost futile breaths he was forced to take up until now. He sat up, placing a hand to his chest as he took the fullest breaths he could, savoring the sight of his healed chest rising and falling naturally for the first time in recent memory.

Finally something was going right, and the homonculus couldn't help the sudden onset of pride. He was strong now, stronger than he ever could have been without his new friends. He would right what was wrong, and with his new strength he would force it to stay right.

He would make a life worth living.

Adam picked himself up, in spite of his body's protests. He could rest fully when his new life was molded. With as little fanfare as possible the obsidian hulk resumed his climb, quickly rising through the canopy and getting a generous glimpse of sunlight. He squinted at the sun before he had to turn away, his eyes not yet adjusted, and then he saw a sight he deemed familiar. The architecture was there, the familiar brick and black roof tiles, it struck him so hard he almost had to pinch himself to make sure it was really there.

Yet there it stood, defiant to any disbelief that Adam threw its way. He felt the urge to smile, but didn't understand why. The joy, however, he could grasp. Once again, where everyone else failed him, Yukari delivered. His revenge was just a short walk away.

"You... owe her an apology," Adam said to his serpentine friends, "she helped me. I knew she would."

 _Then it is time to fulfill our end of the bargain._

Adam's heart clenched, the gaps between his scales burned with emerald light. The homonculus doubled over and coughed violently, hacking again and again until a twisted bile began to flow from his throat. His mind dimmed as a billion, billion voices filled his head with screams and gibbersih, to the point where his very sense of being was nearly drowned in the chaos. However, there was one thing that broke free from the chorus of conflicting wants, the screams and the rage.

 _We will make them hurt._

 **=][=**

"Is she gonna be alright?"

"Kanako?" Reimu asked, giving the heap of the goddess a once-over. It would have been nice to see her on the ground like that in any other circumstance, "yeah she'll get better, just gotta give her a few minutes."

The shinigami nodded, taking a seat on a broken pillar that lied next to the goddess, "damn, near tore her head off huh?" she gave the goddess a poke, who let out a muffled sound, "hey sunshine, get on up."

Kanako felt awful, like she had drank too much with Suwako again while Sanae was out. Such a terrible hangover if ever she-

Why couldn't she move her head?

Komachi couldn't help snickering as she watched Kanako grope her head and neck, trying to get her bearings on her condition, "looks like the demon got you pretty good."

"He's not a demon!" Marisa snapped, glaring at the shinigami before returning to her morose state, "he's just lost, upset."

"That's an understatement," Yukari said, "what you're seeing is a child lashing out against a world he thinks is against him," the youkai frowned, remembering the last conversation she had with him, how much she wished he would have just taken her offer then, "his rage is being manipulated, but he deserves comeuppance. I owe him a hand, for failing to put my foot down when I had the chance."

"How do you owe that monster anything?" Komachi prodded, incredulous, "that abomination spits in the face of the natural order and you want to expedite his course?"

"I have expedited _his_ goals, not the goals of those who think they control him," the youkai retorted smoothly, making a motion with her hand and opening a small gap in front of her. She reached in and pulled out a porcelain cup, taking a sip of its steaming contents, "until the depth of his ill-gotten power is fully understood, I don't want anyone risking themselves trying to fight him," she said sternly, looking pointedly at Reimu.

A resounding crack filled the air, "and who is to keep the rotten monster occupied until then?" Kanako asked, rising into a sitting position, massaging her neck, "if I underestimated him, others will too."

"I will keep him from getting momentum," Yukari answered, "and I do dearly hope his targets get a proper thrashing."

"Or refuse to fight him, apparently," Komachi added, glaring at Marisa.

Reimu frowned, feeling an angry lump rise in her throat from the jab at her friend, "I... I really don't want to have to fight him," she said, trying to take Marisa's side, even though her mind on the matter was quite conclusively made up, "I will do what I have to, but I can understand Marisa's hesitation."

Komachi was about to make another jab when she felt a cold chill overtake her. She could feel it again, the great void that came with the demon's exertions, "I can feel him again," she said, pointing out the direction of the terrible mass of entropy, "there."

"Where exactly?" Kanako asked, somewhat hopeful.

The shinigami paused, her brow furrowed in hopeless frustration, "I can't tell... just that direction," she made an airy gesture, "the entropy is too far-reaching, it is an effective cloak."

Marisa blinked some stray tears away, hopefully the last for a while. She knew exactly where he wanted to go, and given Yukari's proactivity when it involved Adam, she knew where he was sent. She exchanged a look with the youkai, but Yukari had given her a warning glare.

Not a word, Marisa.

"Where he wants to be," Yukari answered vaguely once again, "and where I want him to be."

"And how is putting him where he wants to be a good thing?" Reimu jabbed, "how do you know everything in his head?"

"Because I was there," Yukari retorted, opening a gap and flippantly tossing her cup into the void, "I talked to him, he let me in."

"Your half-truths are not amusing anymore!" Reimu snapped, "If you know as much as you claim, you know that we cannot just let Adam run rampant! Where is he? Who did you send him to? Why can't you tell me what you have planned?!"

"She won't talk, Reimu," Kanako said, "we have a name to our devil though, is there anyone we can speak to who knows him well? Maybe we can learn his weaknesses?"

"The only person who would know those sorts of things is his mother," Reimu answered, then paused, "hey Marisa, can you take us to Alice?"

The magician shook her head, "we're not exactly on speaking terms, Reimu," she turned to look at the shrine maiden, and the stern face she was making was enough to make her fold, "fine, but I'm not talking to her."

Reimu turned to face Yukari, "you think you could give us-" but the youkai was gone, nothing but soot and broken vegetation lie where she once stood. The shrine maiden let out an irritated groan.

"I'm going to try looking for the demon again, I don't care what Yukari has to say about it," Komachi said, lifting off the ground, "if I can find him I'll do what I can."

"Don't go at him stupid," Kanako warned, "what drives him is a power beyond you. What he did to your peers is evidence enough."

"It's not right to let him just wander freely, I need to keep him from causing more death," the shinigami retorted, "I have a duty."

Kanako nodded respectfully, "just be smart."

"You might need to explain a few things to me on the way, Mari," Reimu said, "about Adam."

The magician remembered the look Yukari gave her and swallowed a lump, "I'll tell you what I can."

 **=][=**

Things weren't the same without Adam or Flandre.

It was always quiet around the mansion now. Nobody seemed really willing to speak to each other, even though months had passed since the incident. The only person who seemed to be on speaking terms with everyone was Patchouli, who acted ultimately indifferent, if on the sanguine side.

Remilia would lock herself in her study for hours on end, trying to think of ways to get things back in order, and sort out the influence of these mishaguji that the shrine maiden had spoken to her about. The challenge was trying to figure out how to make things up to Flandre, and in all this time she still couldn't figure anything out.

"Your tea, mistress."

Sakuya brought her tea hourly, Remilia had wanted coffee but the maid refused to let her get too hopped up on caffeine, _"think smarter, not longer,"_ the maid had told her. Remilia silently took the steaming cup offered to her, taking a tentative sip, "this isn't coffee," the Scarlet Devil said bitterly.

"You don't need it," Sakuya retorted evenly, "you're going to think yourself sick if you keep staying up like this. Flandre won't disappear tomorrow."

"I just don't know what to say to her," Remilia said somberly, "hey Flandre, I had a talk with a busty shrine maiden. Turns out I was possessed!" the vampire chirped happily before settling back down into her grumpy puzzling, "that will work out just fine."

"Excuses or not, you still know what you need to cover," Sakuya said, setting her tea tray on a table and standing beside the ruminating Scarlet Devil.

Remilia felt her teeth clench for a moment, "I wish he was still here."

"I know."

"I was going to make things right."

The maid gave the quivering vampire a reassuring hand, "I know."

"I ruined it, all of it," Remilia let out a tired sigh, "what could I possible say to her?"

The maid hummed softly, thinking for a spell, "I would start with an _I'm sorry,_ " she said, "I'm sure you can draw upon your improv classes after that."

This was what Sakuya had said yesterday too, "you really have nothing to add?" Remilia asked.

"She'll react poorly no matter what you say," Sakuya answered, "short of Otto himself, I doubt there's anyone that can get through to her without a few bruises."

Remilia nodded, recalling the last time she saw Flandre. The Scarlet Devil smirked, "I'm proud of her. Even though I was holding back she still beat me," the vampire looked up at Sakuya, "I always had the edge before."

"I recall quite vividly," Sakuya responded, "we need to go look for her eventually."

"Not until I can think of how to say it," Remilia said.

The maid frowned at her mistress, "your procrastination is what brought Adam into our home in the first place."

The vampire flinched, her eyes flashing, but settled down quickly, "I know. Weren't you just saying I should rest? Isn't that procrastinating?"

"If you sleep you'll have a clear head to sort out the riddle you insist on challenging yourself with," Sakuya answered, realizing her last observation was too forward, "permission to speak freely?"

"You always have it, you know that," Remilia said with a dismissive wave.

"You should just go find Flandre and let things happen naturally," the maid said, "if you're set on bringing her home I doubt that's how it will happen. At best, she'll still be away, but you could at least get back on speaking terms."

Remilia nodded thoughtfully, eyes on the hand resting upon her shoulder, "you mentioned this morning that Sanae was coming to check in today?"

 **=][=**

"You're thinking about him again."

Patchouli snapped up from her notes, glaring at Koakuma, who was seated just next to her, "what do you mean I'm thinking of him? I'm just going over old notes," she said flippantly. She looked down, noting the large streak of ink that resulted from the devil's interruption, "what have I told you about disturbing me?"

"I recall part of my job being relieving you from your stresses," the devil said flatly, "while most do that through carnal means, I know when you want to talk, and I know when Adam's on your mind."

The magician rolled her eyes, "you've not been here very long and you presume to know me? Adam knew me better and he wasn't around for much longer."

The devil folded her arms, peeved, "you have this scowl on your face when you think of him because you're trying not to smile, you blink more rapidly, and you get a crease on your brow that doesn't normally show up when you're irritated. In fact you're doing it right now," she pointed out helpfully.

This floored the magician, she wanted to just say the devil was making it up, but she didn't feel like arguing right now, "so what if I am?"

"You take this magician thing too seriously," Koakuma said, "just because you drift away from your emotions doesn't mean they're null. You miss him, just admit it."

"He spiced things up, yes," Patchouli answered, drumming her fingers on her table, "and he's the only person who's made Flandre so passionate in a long time."

"You're proud of him," Koakuma said.

"Of course I am, he's my creation after all," the magician responded, avoiding eye contact, "he wouldn't have been mine if he didn't succeed in what he was made for."

"And you used to say you had nothing to do with him," Koakuma said slyly, "why is it so hard to say you care?"

"Magicians don't care," Patchouli retorted flatly. The unsatisfied look she had earned made the magician sigh, "because he was supposed to go back to Alice after Flandre grew tired of him, that was our arrangement. He wasn't going to be here forever."

"So you didn't want to get attached?" Koakuma prodded.

Patchouli nodded, when a rumble struck the mansion. Her eyes darted up to the chandelier above, which swung gingerly, "get the library cleaned up, Koa. I'll go investigate."

 **=][=**

The Scarlet Mansion had seen better days.

It was common practice for Remilia to accept guests and accommodate them appropriately, but lately she'd been turning down travelers. She told Meiling that she didn't want to be disturbed, which seemed asinine to the woman. She had a huge mansion, she could easily make herself scarce but still be hospitable.

It had been a while since she spoke with anyone inside. The only person she saw with any regularity was Sakuya, who would come to vent her grief in the evening over a glass of warm milk. It was the least the martial artist could do, given her role in the madness of the last year.

The hole in the brick wall was still there, the one Adam had put her through. She had to admit she would have liked to go a few more rounds, but the desire struck her only after Adam was long gone. Trapped in the Sanzu for eternity, unable to die.

She had sent the boy to hell.

The ground had become her favorite thing to stare at recently. There was a trail of ants that had appeared recently, some were carrying grubs. Must have been moving to a new home. Meiling frowned, wishing she could move to a new home herself, but she was honor bound to Remilia.

" _Aaaah..._ "

The martial artist's head shot up, scanning the bridge ahead. That sounded very close. She could hear a grinding sound, of stones knocking against each other as they were overturned. She stepped out of her resting position against the gate, her fists clenched. She felt eyes on her, like she was in front of a crowd.

Then it appeared, a mist, coiling and slithering across the bridge like a thousand slithering serpents. Meiling cursed mentally, she hated snaked, reptiles in general. They had only served to creep her out, and Adam did little to convince her otherwise.

The mist rose into a curtain, building and building upon itself like a mountain. She could hear something wet slapping against stone, like slabs of meat or a dead fish flopping helplessly after beaching.

Then the light came to her, a fierce emerald shimmer burning through the mist. She could hear an ambient hiss of steam, and the mist visibly parted.

Meiling's heart nearly hammered out of her chest in one beat, then just about slayed itself by skipping the subsequent beat.

A familiar black hulk strode out of the mist, its green eyes burning brightly like sinister stars, viscous mucus (she wasn't sure what) flowing from its mouth in copious amounts. Its whole body was solid shadow, pure obsidian. She could only make out minute details thanks to the sun shining directly above. The figure was far larger than the person whose likeness it bore nightmarish resemblance to, but she knew in her heart who it was.

" _So long,_ " he said in a chorus, of men, women, and children," _but how could I forget?_ " Meiling could still hear his voice peeking out from the cacophony, and the air around her chilled.

The martial artist swallowed a lump, staring him right in the eye, "Ad-"

He exploded in a cloud of black mist, reforming just as quickly, right in front of her. She jumped back, only to slam against the gates of the Scarlet Mansion. She dare not look over her shoulder, she dare not move as the demon exhaled, green vapor flowing from his mouth just as much as the sick mucus did. It reeked, she wanted to vomit, but Meiling somehow didn't flinch when all she could smell was death.

"I _wouldn't dare forget you,_ " two white tendrils rose from behind the demon and shot forward, striking Meiling in the chest and blasting her through the iron gate, which fell to the ground with a great cacophony of clapping steel. The martial artist flipped and landed on her feet, but found a scaled hand take her by the throat the moment she rose. She struck pressure points, she delivered calculated kicks into the monster's side, his calf, and one good shot to his groin, but nothing worked.

He was so strong, so impossibly strong, "A-Adam!" she croaked with the last of her usable breath. For the first time in recent memory, Meiling felt helpless, utterly, totally helpless as Adam drug her kicking and squirming to the Scarlet Mansion's front door.

" _Knock please,_ " the homonculus chimed softly with the voices of children. He reared his victim back, and with a mighty heave battered her against the door. Meiling clenched her teeth, her nails digging into Adam's black scales as he hammered her against the door again, and again. She could feel her throat being slowly crushed from the strain, until finally the front door gave, and the chinawoman was thrown into the lobby in a hail of splinters.

This time Meiling took a moment to get to her feet, struggling for breath as her throat healed. She looked at Adam, and didn't know what to do. He had reduced her to a ragdoll in a few scant moments, what could she possibly-

No, she knew why Adam was here, and she would stop him. She had to stop him, even if the entire mansion crumbles, she would deny him.

Adam stepped through the door, savoring the sight of the mansion lobby. His emerald eyes fell to Meiling, and he let out a venomous hiss. Vapor and mucus flowed from his mouth, the latter slapping against the floor loudly, " _now I destroy your world, **the same way you destroyed mine!**_ "

* * *

 _Bit of a shorter chapter, I apologize, but my proof-reader told me this was a good jumping off point for next chapter, and those are hard to come by._

 _I'll do my utmost to get chapter 7 out faster, I've just been thrown a few curve balls lately by fate. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, blue-balling cliffhanger and all._

 _Oh and if you're wondering who Sakuya was referring to: Otto von Bismarck._


	7. No Heart to Break

_Hello everyone. You might have noticed this is chapter 7 again. My dissatisfaction with my first offering hit a critical level, so I decided to rewrite the chapter from scratch, and as an apology to you all I added what I had for chapter 8 to the mix. I just felt that the whole Scarlet Mansion scrap deserved a chapter all to itself. I hope you all enjoy this version more!_

* * *

"Alright you've convinced me, we'll go look for Flandre. I'll just need my spare parasol," Remilia said, rising from her seat for the first time in days.

Sakuya let her shoulders slump, if only for a second. The nonstop back and forth with Remilia had taken its toll on her. Even if she was to believe all this curse god nonsense that the shrine maiden from Youkai Mountain was going on about, seeing the Scarlet Devil dally on corrective action for so long ate at her soul.

Remilia made her way over to the window-side cupboard, casually lifting it and picking up the parasol underneath, "I had Adam hide Parasols throughout the mansion one day when I was cross with him," the vampire patted the dirty cloth a few times, "my brilliance shines once again."

Sakuya felt a sour lump rise in her throat at his mention.

The vampire took a parting glance outside, the sun was shining brightly, which meant she needed to throw her gloves on, maybe get some stockings. She _could_ wait until that mist finished rolling in-

Midday mist?

"Sakuya, get over here, now," Remilia commanded.

The maid brusquely made her way over, shocked at the vampire's sudden strength of tone. She peered out the window, "lovely day."

"Look down you idiot."

Sakuya did so, if miffed. She saw the forest, some leftover mist that hadn't been burnt away in the summer sun-

It was noon.

"I think those are our serpents back for more mischief," Remilia said slowly, her arm sparking with red lightning, "oh I've been waiting for an opportunity to get back at them. Grab China and let's wait for them on the porch. I want to greet them properly before I show them what happens when paltry gods tread on the Devil."

It was nice to hear Remilia back to her old self again, but the sight of the mist made Sakuya hesitate. She could see the green light within it, something she did not recall from last year, "are you certain, mistress?"

Remilia nodded as she watched the mist approach the front gate, "that has to be them, what else could explain it?"

Both watched as a shape strode out of the mist. They couldn't make it out between Meiling and the bars of the gate. It looked like it was conversing with the gatekeeper for a moment, then a barely audible clang filled the air as Meiling was casually bat through the gate, revealing the figure in its dark magnificence.

The jolt that struck the Scarlet Devil almost made her heart kick back in after centuries of silence. Her knees were trembling so hard they threatened to buckle, and all the while she had one prevailing thought: she'd have to postpone the search for Flandre. She looked to Sakuya, trying to gauge her friend's well-being.

What a mess.

The maid was trembling all over, biting down on her finger as she failed to hold back an anguished grimace, "no no no," she chanted to herself, "no, no, this isn't real," compared to her usual self, this Sakuya looked hysterical, "I want to wake up now, I really want to wake up," Sakuya tore herself away from the window, hugging herself as she tried to rein herself in.

Regretting even sparing Sakuya the glance, Remilia returned her gaze to the sight of the impossible. She watched as Adam drug Meiling under the balcony, and held her breath. He was knocking against front door, they could feel it. They also felt the door collapse from the onslaught.

If they survived this, Patchouli had a lot of explaining to do.

Sakuya let out a shaken breath, "w-we have to talk to him."

"Talk to him?! Are you in- _sane_?!" Remilia shrieked so hard her voice cracked, "he is not here to talk! There's only one reason he's here and he's not going to leave until he wears my entrails like it's the latest fashion!"

"N-no-!" Sakuya's voice cracked and she cleared her throat, "mistress please, we have to make this right!"

"Nothing right will come of this, Sakuya!" Remilia retorted, "talking won't fix anything with him!"

"We won't know unless we try!" Sakuya pressed, "please mistress, I raised him, I can get through to him!"

"You can't just hug him and expect everything to be roses!" the Scarlet Devil countered, "if I were him I would be deaf to everything! We can't risk our lives trying to talk things out!"

"You never tried!" Sakuya snapped, "you never talked to him, _you never tried working it out_! You just had him thrown out like a broken toy! Even if he was seeing Flandre, you made no peaceful effort, and look at all it's accomplished!" tears were running down the maid's cheeks like a dam had broke, but the sight of Remilia wilting under the barrage of harsh words only spurred the maid on, "I've lost too many family members because of your decisions! I won't let you keep me from trying to save him!"

Remilia blinked and Sakuya was gone.

 **=][=**

"In spite of everything that's happened, it is nice to see you again."

Meiling was plucked from the rubble like a vegetable, held aloft by her ankle. Before she could even blink the stars out of her gaze she was swung through the air and battered against the floor. He would just beat her faster than she could heal, and then every once in a while he would give her enough time for something to heal, just so he could break it again.

"You were the last person I saw, after all. This makes it all worth it," Adam released the gatekeeper, letting her fall to the ground in a broken heap. She was casually kicked onto her back by the Black Devil's clawed foot, "I can see your heart racing," he placed a foot on her chest, then he applied the pressure. His eyes seemed to shimmer as he heard the woman wheeze beneath him, "I'm excited too."

Meiling finally managed to get her arms to respond, clasping her hands around Adam's ankle. She put everything she could into keeping him from crushing her, but with the way Adam just tossed her around she felt no hope in escaping from under his heel. The homonculus let out a satisfied hiss, and the muscles in his legs tensed. There was a loud crack, the pressure got worse, Meiling couldn't breathe.

"It felt a little like that," Adam suddenly said, his voice jarringly cool, "such immense pressure, but I can't hope to replicate the coldness," his tone started to fluctuate as his neck pulsated in a most horrid fashion, "count your blessings that you will never truly understand the hell you put me through!"

A jade pillar burst from the marble floor, socking Adam right in the jaw and throwing him off of the tortured Meiling. The chinawoman started hacking violently, struggling to roll on to one side so she could expel the blood filling her freed lungs. She saw Adam's feet, and watched as another pillar shot up from beneath him. He was thrown into the air, and just before landing yet another pillar shot up and drove into his stomach. Meiling heard a satisfying crack, and watched as the homonculus fell to the ground with a hard thud. Even with all her hacking she couldn't help a hopeful smile. Maybe this wasn't over after all.

"I never imagined you'd take after Remilia in spite of everything, I could fill a book with all your moaning," the intruder complained, landing squarely between Adam and Meiling, "back from the dead or no, I'm not about to let you torture China."

Meiling's hopeful smile was quickly wiped off.

Adam broke into vapor and reformed on his feet, "Patchouli," he seemed quite happy, "we're all together again. I can't begin to describe _how right this feels_."

"How did you escape the Sanzu?" Patchouli said, cutting into the meat of the situation, "when did you get strong enough-"

" _Sending me to the Sanzu was the best thing you could have possibly done for us,_ " Adam hissed in a chorus, "thanks to my friends, I have power now, the power to make the life I deserve to live."

Patchouli shook her head, "I understand why you're doing this, I empathize even. However, if you're going to blame anyone, blame me. Leave China out of it," she swallowed a rising lump in her throat as her mind raced, grasping for something to say to him. She was ready to fight, without question, but she'd much rather not, "you can just leave, you know that? You can go make your life far away from here, nobody will come after you."

It shocked Patchouli how visibly hard her words hit Adam. He looked confused for a moment, apprehensive even. For the briefest moment she saw his old self in his eyes. She couldn't believe that he had never once taken a moment to think if coming back was even worth it.

The homonculus muttered to himself, too low for anyone to hear. He sounded confused, but then he was silent for a long moment, his brow furrowing more and more as time passed. He nodded in understanding, "you will not deceive me, Patchouli," he returned his attention to the magician, "my friends dissect your lies for me, they will not let me be lead astray."

Friends... that word stirred memories in Patchouli, she remembered having a discussion with Remilia regarding the circumstances around Adam one day.

 _"I just had a talk with a shrine maiden," Remilia said to her._

 _Patchouli blinked, "the red-white was here? How are we all still alive?"_

 _The Scarlet Devil shook her head, "no someone else. Her name is Sanae, she's from the Moriya Shrine... the one on youkai mountain," she swirled her glass of wine, staring at her reflection in the pristine crystalline glass, "she told me things that, in retrospect, answer a lot of questions I've had about my own character these last few months."_

 _"You're going to need to clarify that for me, Remilia," Patchouli responded, "because I've had a lot of questions too and I'd certainly love to hear what you learned."_

 _The vampire stuck her tongue out at the pale magician before continuing, "on youkai mountain, she said, there are wicked spirits called mishaguji," she took a sip of her wine, "they exist to spread chaos and misfortune wherever they go."_

 _"I'm sure this is very fascinating," Patchouli interrupted, "but I'd like to know how it applies to all your bullheadedness lately."_

 _Remilia's hand clenched, and her wineglass snapped in half, spilling all over her dress. She stared at the growing stain, her eyes wild and her lips curled into a snarl. She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, "what a shame," she said/breathed, "that was my favorite wineglass. To answer your question, the mishaguji have been among us for the last few months, around the duration of our escapade with dear Adam."_

 _"How?" Patchouli prodded, "you think we would notice a breed of evil spirits causing discord."_

 _"We did, several times," Remilia clarified, "that summer mist that has been pestering us, that was them."_

"Do you really think that the mishaguji will let this end with just us?" Patchouli asked her estranged relative, "if you thought you were a slave before, you're naught but a puppet now!"

Adam quirked a brow, but it quickly relaxed, "I see," he said with a thoughtful inflection, "I understand your fear. It's not very fun when the roles are reversed, is it?" the demon snarled, he winced and his hand snapped to his head. He let out a reptilian hiss as the choir returned to his voice, " _you can't stand that we're in control now!_ "

"Look at yourself!" Patchouli snapped, "you're barely keeping yourself together under their yoke! If this is what you call control I shudder to think what you call imprisonment!"

Adam brought up his foot and whipped his heel into the floor. A huge chunk of marble exploded out of the ground, then he jumped up and kicked it with both feet.

The chunk of stone hurled forward, and then exploded in a shower of pebbles and sparks. The dust cleared and Patchouli was seen, holding a handkerchief up to her mouth with one hand, while the other was outstretched and crackling with magical power, "you may be strong," the magician said, pocketing her handkerchief, "but let's see how much that helps you against magic!"

The mist of the mishaguji seeped into the mansion, slowly encompassing all around them. It covered the walls and snuffed out the candles, it covered the floor and concealed a still-healing Meiling. Then it rose up like a great cloak, draping itself over Adam's shoulders and embracing his body. Patchouli's eyes darted about as she saw little red lights flicker in the clouds. Adam seemed to smile, his mouth parting slightly as bile began to flow from his maw. Patchouli reeled as the scent of rotting flesh blasted her. The sinister green light inside of Adam burned with new intensity, the mist flowing into the cracks in the homonculus' natural armor like a series of streams.

"I have more than strength, I have friends," Adam said. Then his head twitched as something pulsed in this throat, and the choir joined his voice, " _where are your friends, Patchouli_?"

That was a really good question right now.

The knowing glint in Adam's eyes showed that he was on the same page as Patchouli. He started to sink into the mist, which began to course with jade lightning. He was swallowed up with little fanfare, but that only made the magician more paranoid. She could hear slithering—scale grinding against stone.

A white tendril shot from the floor and lashed out, Patchouli jerked back just in time to dodge when a sharp spine shot down from the ceiling. She rolled out of the way and was then snagged by the ankle. The magician was hurled around and thrown into a nearby wall, then pounded into it for good measure by a great white hand. As Patchouli fell, Adam shot from the wall in an explosion of black tar. He caught her by the leg, and landed back where they started, "when this day is done," he swung her into the floor, "you will share in my fate. Both of you!"

 _A guest for you._

Adam smacked his head, "not now-" he saw the mist that coated the stairway to the second floor pulse, like something had just emerged from it. He looked down, and Patchouli was gone. The homonculus tensed, his teeth grinding together, "you let her in?! Why?!" he stomped the misty floor petulantly, as though his friends would feel the strike. The serpents were silent.

"Adam."

The homonculus whipped around, coming face to face with the woman who broke him, "Sakuya," the Black Devil hissed, his shoulders hunching.

"I really hoped you would never answer that question, Adam," Sakuya said, "the one I asked you so long ago. Yet, seeing all of this, seeing how you hurt Patchouli and China, answers it quite clearly."

"You brought this on yourselves," the demon snarled as he began to strafe her, looking for an opening, "you took me from my home, you took me from Flandre, you betrayed my trust!" he stopped, having made a full circle, once again face to face with the woman who raised him, "you broke my heart."

Sakuya knew that any response regarding their personal relationship would just make his heart fossilize more than it already had, "and we were wrong to do all those things to you," she said, trying to keep the topic broad.

"And you did it all anyway!" Adam retorted venomously, "you taught me a lesson, one that I will never forget. Right and wrong are easily bent by those of strength or status."

"You can't possibly believe that nonsense!" Sakuya snapped.

"And who are you to tell me what to believe?!" Adam screamed, stomping on the ground like a child would when throwing a tantrum, "if you will defend the monsters that destroyed my life, then you are simply one yourself!"

Sakuya clenched her fists so hard her nails were beginning to draw blood, "then I am no different than you!"

Adam flinched, taking a step back for a moment. He shook his head, letting out an irritated snarl, "finally you tell me the truth," he hissed, "I was so stupid to think that you thought of me as any more than a dumb animal!"

The maid lifted the hem of her skirt just enough to expose her garter, and the many daggers that were sheathed in it, "you were a good person once, Adam," she said, voice trembling. She quickly swallowed the lump in her throat, regaining her composure, "I'm sorry we made you a monster."

Adam flexed his claws, hunkering into a more aggressive posture, "sorry is not good enough."

Sakuya unsheathed two daggers, "I know."

The first thing Adam felt was knives in his throat. Sakuya was on his back, sawing into his jugular. The demon gargled and reached up, then the weight had left his shoulders. The gaping holes in his throat sparked as they tried to start regenerating, but then Sakuya returned right in front of him, having just charged into him, driving her daggers into his throat once more and ripping through his windpipe. The Black Devil fell to his knees as his lungs filled up with blood, he started hacking, then vomiting up the black ichor that now coursed through his veins.

Sakuya stood in front of him now, he looked up, and saw the pained expression on her face, the _pity_ frothing from her eyes. It made his heart burn and his blood boil, "y-you," he gagged, "you think I will simply drop like every other time?" he wiped the blood from his mouth, only to vomit again.

The maid kneeled next to him, her fingers anxiously digging into her dress as she saw the pathetic thing that was once Adam, "we can still stop this. You have the power to end this violence whenever you want," she wanted to reach out to him so badly, she wanted to show him she still cared, "put a stop to this, Adam, before it consumes you."

The homonculus let out a bark of amusement, the glow in his eyes flickering as his head jerked, his empty gaze went right through her, " _you fed him to us._ "

Sakuya willed time to a halt and turned around. A great ghostly hand was coming down on her, a scant second from crushing her against the floor.

Adam watched as Sakuya magically dodged his friends' ambush. The diversion, at least, had given him enough time to stop the bleeding.

"You're not fast enough, Adam," Sakuya said, appearing at his side, kneeling again oh so condescendingly, "please see reason."

Her mind games would not phase him, not with the mishaguji on his side, "I do not need speed. You just need to get sloppy."

Sakuya slowed time and peered over her shoulder. Nothing was there this time. What did he mean? "I don't want this, none of us want this. Do you think I'm enjoying myself right now?"

The corners of Adam's mouth curled in one of his pseudo-smiles, and his head jerked so hard the bones in his neck popped grotesquely, " _we are._ "

The maid froze time and jerked aside, only to come to the horrid realization that she had been anchored to the floor.

Time resumed its natural pace as Adam rose, "my friends are cunning, I never would have thought they could do something like this," he reached down and cupped Sakuya's face, claws digging into her cheeks and earning a pained hiss, "I accept that you had no part in what happened to me, _but you leave us no choice._ "

His face drew near, and Sakuya's heart was pounding. His breath smelt of death, she saw his throat pulsing grotesquely, and a million terrible things ran through her mind.

"Come here you bastard!"

Adam was swept away and hurled into the air by Meiling, "Patchouli, now!" a jade pillar summarily shot up from the floor and punched Adam right through the ceiling, earning a cheer from her as the pillar dissolved into glittering dust, " _hen hao!_ "

The mist pulsed and rose, filtering through the hole in the ceiling, likely to join its master. Sakuya shot to her feet as soon as she was able, getting closer to Meiling than she would normally care to, "thanks China."

"Save the thanks for when this is over," the gatekeeper responded dismissively. She tensed when she heard Adam stirring above, "whenever that is."

Patchouli soon joined in, landing beside the pair, "we should evacuate and regroup. We can't fight him alone."

"The three of us should be able to restrain him," Sakuya argued.

"He does not need restraint, he needs destruction," Meiling retorted bitterly, "I'm one mind with Patchouli on this."

"Girls please, just give me a little more time with him," Sakuya pleaded, "I can't bring myself to write him off!"

Patchouli scowled at the maid, "he's gone, Sakuya," she iterated flatly, "how is that hard to understand?"

"We're the ones that made him," Sakuya answered.

"That was more Alice," Patchouli retorted.

The maid shook her head, "not Adam, we made the monster you just kicked through the ceiling."

"Speaking of monster, I don't think he's gonna come back down," Meiling observed, "you think he's hiding?"

Patchouli shook her head, "knowing him, he's probably looking for Flandre."

"But Flandre isn't here," Meiling countered.

"You think he knows that?" the magician retorted.

"I'll search the basement, you two go up stairs and grab Remilia," Sakuya said, "I can cover more ground on my own."

 **=][=**

How convenient.

Adam could easily handle Patchouli and Meiling, but the maid was a nuisance. Even for a scant minute, her absence would be a boon. With Sakuya out of the way, the traitors would be slow enough for Adam to find who was really on his mind. The mishaguji had whispered many things to him, and his Flandre's whereabouts were one of them. No, he was far more interested in her big sister right now.

Thankfully, he remembered the way.

Adam broke down into black vapor and slithered along the floor like a predator, the mist following close behind him. He knew he only had a short amount of time to find Remilia before Sakuya had covered the basement and discovered his intentions. He just needed to get them all together. Once they realized that even together, they could not stop him, then he would strike them from his new life.

Remilia's door was open, shockingly. She preferred it closed. Adam formed just outside the doorway, resisting his domestic urges to knock. He was anxious, he had to take a breath before he stepped through the door.

"I didn't think you'd get here so fast," Remilia said, sipping a cup of wine as she stared out the window, "in fact, I didn't think you'd come back home at all."

Frankly, Adam was floored. He stared at the Scarlet Devil, perplexed. Was she not aware what he'd been up to down stairs?

Remilia seemed to notice his stunned state, for she beckoned him to take a seat at the chair across from her, "come on, let's have a chat."

"There's no room for talking," Adam retorted, "you know why I'm-"

"Yes, I told Sakuya the same thing, but she was adamant that you could be talked down," Remilia set her glass in the window-seal, having downed its contents, "since you're up here and she's not, I expect that went about as well as we thought?"

" _We_?" Adam parroted.

Remilia scoffed, "let's be honest with each other, Adam, we always are," her ruby eyes gleamed in the low light, "as much as I'd love to settle things with you in a glorious sendoff worthy of your tragedy, aren't you in the least bit curious why I did it?"

"Why you..." Adam heard the serpents hissing in the back of his head, he shook his head, he knew the story, "I found Flandre, I am aware-"

"Is that what _they_ told you?" Remilia prodded, "do you believe everything you hear, young man?"

Adam tried thinking on it, but there was a hissing in his head. He smacked his skull, "let me think," he commanded. He couldn't focus, it was like his thoughts were being blocked, his head was hurting, "I don't understand," he winced, feeling his forehead clench painfully.

"Do you remember the mist that was outside? Always blocking our view of the lake?" Remilia jabbed.

"Th-that was-" the demon twitched violently, his hands snapped up to his head. The emerald light that shone between his scales flashed scarlet, "that was-!" he let out a guttural howl as he dropped to his knees, whipping his head back like a wolf as his flesh pulsed.

Then silence.

Remilia's fingers crackled as her hands clenched. Under normal circumstances she'd feel properly smug, but if everything Sanae told her was true...

The homonculus shook his head, letting out a snarl as he rose back to his feet. The red haze that took his body relented to the ghastly green that seemed to froth from him like a miasma.

"I take it you boys don't like the truth?" Remilia asked, still behind her composed veil.

She didn't see anything in his eyes. Adam, while a very emotionally restrained person, had a weakness in his eyes. They'd always tell her what was going on in his head, and she saw nothing. He was wiped clean.

The Homonculus hurled forward, and Remilia conjured her crackling lance, driving it into Adam's chest and hoisting him into the air. The demon gargled as Gungnir's sparks burst from his back. With a flap of her wings the vampire lifted off with Adam in tow, slamming him into the ceiling. The demon let out a bark, and Remilia was torn away from him, and her lance. She was swung about, through various furniture before being slammed into the floor by a great ghostly hand.

Adam meanwhile had freed himself from Gungnir, dropping to the floor with the spear in tow. He moved like a mindless primitive, none of his usual mincing care in his body language as he stomped through ruined clothing and shattered wood. Crimson chains materialized and snaked around the demon. The homonculus squirmed against the chains for a moment, his body smoking slightly as he tried to break into vapor, but he could not fully disperse and escape the chains. White mist slithered up his body and tried to break him free, giving Remilia a chance to get back to her feet. She held out her hand and snapped her fingers.

The chains crackled and sparked against Adam's body, his emerald eyes went wide just before he was swallowed in an intense red flash. A thrumming boom carried through the mansion, rattling the walls and whatever hung upon them. Where the demon once stood was a cloud of sizzling black smoke, the white mist sinking low against the floor as it flooded the room. Remilia flapped her wings, conjuring a mighty gust to disperse the smoke, but Adam was gone.

She could still smell his filthy odor though. He was above.

Remilia would not meet him. Instead she remained below, hovering just above the ground. She turned over and held her fist over her shoulder. All around, crimson spears materialized from binding circles that formed around her. The Scarlet Devil's arm swung forward, and the spears launched into the ceiling. The moment they made contact with anything they exploded, illuminating the dark room with intense flashes of scarlet. Remilia's keen eyes darted about, trying to spot the demons movements. Her ears twitched, he was right next to her.

"Mistress!"

Remilia's eyes shot to the door, but instead only saw Adam's maw, inches from her face. Then he was against the ground, skewered by one of her spears by Sakuya. Remilia blinked and they were out of the room, just as Adam was swallowed in another explosion. She couldn't help smiling at her maid's fortuitous return, "thank you Sakuya."

The maid had a frown on her face, "I can't do it," she said dejectedly, "I can't reach him."

"The part of him you're trying to reach is locked away," Remilia consoled, conjuring Gungnir as a smoky black form stepped through the door, "there's no way to reach him while his masters have their hooks in him."

The Black Devil reformed completely as he stepped through the door and into the massive halls of the mansion. Mist seeped out of Remilia's quarters and slithered along the walls.

"You're much easier when you keep Adam out of the way," Remilia jabbed, "do you have so little faith in him?"

The demon's eyes blinked for a moment, thoughtful and comprehending, but then his expression fixed back into thoughtless malice.

Azure light shone beneath Adam's feet, and a geyser of water shot him into the air. Then a bolt of frost hit the geyser, freezing him in a healthy layer of ice.

Remilia smiled, looking down the hall and spotting Patchouli, with Meiling in tow, "we had it under control."

"Of course you did," the magician responded, striding toward the rest of the group, "now that we're all together I suggest we evacuate. There's no end in fighting him right now."

The Scarlet Devil looked to the frozen homonculus, his hand still clenched around her spear. Even with Patchouli and Meiling, she wasn't entirely confident. This new Adam had power, the depths of which she did not fully understand. What kind of a leader would she be to try fighting an unknown enemy? If only Sanae were here, she could easily tip the balance.

"We need to go," Patchouli reiterated, "you know as well as I do that with his curse-gods there's no telling how much power they'll let him throw around as this progresses. We need to get out of here, find Sanae and her patron goddesses."

"I was literally just thinking the same thing," Remilia responded serenely, lifting off of her feet, "let me grab Gungnir and we'll be off."

Patchouli exchanged a concerned look with Meiling, conjuring a cloud of frost in her palm and waiting for what surely must have been the inevitable.

Having reached the iced Adam, Remilia took a look at his exposed hand, giving it a poke. No response, so she pried each an every finger open until she could retrieve her spear from the homonculus. There was a glowing red scar on his palm, his flesh seared and stinking. The Scarlet Devil felt the overwhelming urge to gag.

A jet of black vapor shot from Adam's hand, slamming Remilia against the wall before condensing into the form of the demon himself. He snapped his jaws at the girl, but she already had a retort, placing Gungnir between herself and his emerald maw. He bit down on the spear, and his flesh began to sizzle. Then the demon dispersed, just as a jade pillar shot up and through where he once was.

The white mist reared up like a serpent, and Patchouli met it with a gout of flame as Adam re-materialized and dropped from above. Meiling drew a spellcard and pelted him with a barrage of danmaku fire, aiming squarely at his face. The demon held his hands in front of his face, looking stunned by the rainbow of bullets as he landed on his feet some distance away. Then he charged in Meiling's direction.

The gatekeeper channeled all of her chi into her fist as the demon neared, hurling herself forward and punching him square in his exposed gut. The Black Devil doubled over as Meiling stepped back and swung her leg through the air, slamming her heel against the back of Adam's head and driving him into the floor.

Meiling was swept off of her feet by a white tendril, hoisted into the air and slapped into a wall by a great hand. As Adam rose to his feet, he was punched through the floor by a jade beam that fell upon him from overhead. With the homonculus out of the room, Patchouli blasted the white mist with another gout of fire, trying to free Meiling from their grasp. Remilia conjured a bundle of scarlet spears, hoisted them over her shoulder and hurled them into the mist. They exploded in a great cacophony, breaking up the mist and forcing it to retreat through the hole Adam fell through, leaving a scorched Meiling on the ground.

The gatekeeper crawled to her feet, taking a moment to throw her flaming cap off before her hair caught on fire, "thanks," she grumbled.

 **=][=**

Koakuma had only been around the mansion for about a year, but she was starting to regret her decision to accept Patchouli's contract. Some terrible monstrosity was tearing up the mansion, and from the sounds of thinks kicking tail while it did so. Now he had fallen through the ceiling and into the library.

The devil made the only real possible choice and hid under a table.

She peeked from under the tableskirt, trying to spot the monster. What she saw was a creeping mist, hissing softly as it slithered along the floor like a flood of tiny serpents. She could hear footsteps, however. Heavy ones.

A pair of black legs came into view, and she heard a snarl. Koakuma instantly retreated, hoping whatever it was it would just leave! She heard the monster smell the air a few times, inching closer with every sniff. The devil screamed when her shelter was hoisted up and tossed into the background with little care. She closed her eyes and curled up on the floor, waiting for the inevitable to happen.

She tensed as she was roughly grabbed, and the moment she was picked up she started kicking and screaming. The monster let out an irritated sound, but beyond that it simply held her in place. Koakuma finally opened her eyes after realizing nothing was happening, and was met with a familiar face. They stared at each other, both looking quite confused. The devil remembered this face, it was that sweet lizard boy she met when she was summoned, "Adam?"

The demon blinked a few times, scrutinizing the woman in his arms. He leaned in, earning a yelp from her as he buried his face in her hair and gave it a sniff. He pulled away, looking delirious, as if a haze left him, "Koa..." he mumbled, leaning in and sniffing her again.

"C-can you let me go?" the devil tried asking, "you're hurting my arms."

The monster blinked, nodding compliantly and releasing her.

Finally free, Koakuma took a moment to breathe. Adam was the monster, okay. He was being nice though, maybe she could help?

"You are still... present," Adam's voice was strained, like he was having difficulty thinking of words, "are you... okay?"

"Okay?" the devil asked, "I mean, I've been having a good time so far. Patchouli's a petty woman sometimes, but I can tell she has a heart. Especially about you."

Adam let out a derisive snort, "if she had a heart I wouldn't have... I would not have been drowned."

"I know what happened," Koakuma said softly, placing a comforting hand on his cheek, "I can tell she regrets it every day. You know how she is though, far too proud to admit her feelings."

Koakuma's words took a moment to process, but still the question remained, "why then?" he asked, "why did she take me there?"

"Because she thought she could get you out," she scanned his face, watching it fall. She gave his cheek a reassuring squeeze, "she didn't want you to be stuck down there forever."

Adam's furrowed brow relaxed as her words sunk in, "she would get me later?" he could hear the mishaguji screaming in the back of his head, but they seemed so far away, "I think... have I made a mistake?"

A dagger buried itself in Adam's throat, wedging itself firmly between his scales. The Black Devil barked and reeled as another dagger sliced through the tendons behind his knees, forcing him to the ground.

Koakuma was whisked away before she could blink, all the way to the mansion lobby. She gasped as she looked around, surrounded by the other mansion's residents.

"Are you okay, Koakuma?" Patchouli asked, "he didn't hurt you?"

"Of course he didn't!" Koakuma cried, "I was talking to him!"

Sakuya blinked, "I saw him in front of you, I was certain-"

"Sakuya, he said he made a mistake!" the devil shouted, "you grabbing me probably changed his mind!"

"Is this a bad time?" floated a new voice.

Everyone looked to the shattered doorway, spotting a girl with verdant green hair and familiar white robes, "h-hello miss Remilia, I came back like I said."

"I'm glad you're here, Sanae," the Scarlet Devil said, "we were just about to run away."

Sanae blinked, "from what?"

An enraged bellow thrummed from the depths of the mansion.

"We'll brief you later," Patchouli answered, flying past the shocked shrine maiden, "just try and keep up!"

* * *

 _What an ending, right? The score with the Scarlet gang and Adam is hardly settled, but for now they deserve a break. We'll catch up with some of the other players next chapter, primarily those whose ending scene I cut in favor of making it a chapter opener (those who read the first chapter 7 know what I'm referring to.)_

 _Have a great day!_


	8. Silent No More

**_***EDIT: I was writing an interlude chapter in my spare time, but since this chapter was pretty short by my standards I just decided to add it in. Until next time friends!_**

 _Hello everyone! My new job basically eats all my life during the weekdays. I didn't even know we had an In-N-Out Burger built until opening day. I write, but I have neither the time nor the energy to really do it for more than a bit over the weekends._

 _I do apologize for the wait, but I'm still at it._

* * *

He was alone again, even with the serpents hissing in his mind. He didn't want to hear them, not after everything he'd heard.

Adam sat alone in the library he once was so familiar with, drawing on what few happy memories he still had, though they were interrupted by the incessant hissing of the mishaguji.

 _Do you just plan to stop? After everything we've done to help you?_

"You lied to me," the homonculus retorted venomously, wanting his happy memories back, "you were there, you were always there. You did this!"

 _We've told you nothing but the truth, your own delusions created this lie you accuse us of. It is of your own making._

"And it was not worth telling me?!" Adam snapped, pacing back and forth anxiously as he shouted at nothing, "were it not for you, I could have left for a life with miss Yukari!" he heard them hiss back, proclaiming their innocence once more, "why didn't you stop them?!" Adam shouted.

A long silence followed. Adam panted, exhaustion taking its toll on his body after so much fighting. He just wanted to know why, what did he do wrong? "I should have stayed in the Sanzu."

 _Then go back._

Adam flinched at the nonchalant retort, his thoughts quickly falling back on the notion.

 _You cannot, can you? You cannot take this back. Do you believe that they will forgive you for this?_

The Black Devil felt his heart starting to sink, their logic striking him like a hammer on an anvil. Once again, they were right. There was no turning back, there was no point in talking about what could have been—rather what should have been. They wouldn't care, they just saw him as a monster. He was a monster.

"I'm sorry," Adam whispered, "I'm so sorry..." his jaw clenched as he felt his eyes well. His plate like teeth bared as he seethed, trying to not let out the anguished lump in his throat that so desperately wanted release.

 _Your tears are worthless, monster. Your hapless weeping will accomplish none of our plans._

The homonculus nodded pitifully, clenching his fists as he tried to will his eyes to dry. There was nothing but the mishaguji now; their plans and machinations. He would be sent back to the Sanzu if he gave in, he would never get any semblance of a life if he turned back now. He had only one future now, and if that meant he had to be that which he dreaded being, then so be it.

He would reach into the broken remains of his future and find something worth clinging to.

 **=][=**

Fujiwara no Mokou was drifting. It was hard to sleep with the sun shining in her face, but her recovery had left her so exhausted that she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes, even if the weak darkness behind her lids kept taking the shape of that Black Devil that had so thoroughly trounced her.

Her already boiling blood threatened to sizzle into nothing but steam.

"Look she's turning a little red, you think she's thinking about me?"

No, Kaguya.

"She's not going to like it when she wakes up and sees you at her bedside."

"... honestly I kind of doubt it," Kaguya responded, making the bedside shift subtly with her weight, "Mokou has a lot of misplaced priorities, but I think the Black Devil is overshadowing us."

Mokou let out an irritated grunt and tried shooing Kaguya away, all the yammering was giving her a headache.

"You're cognizant then?" Eirin said, her voice drifting closer, "that's good. That means I can do this."

Mokou was smacked so hard whatever implement Eirin used had promptly shattered. The noble shot up, flames quite literally shooting out of her nostrils, "what was that for, lunar hag?!"

"You've made this Black Devil incident a lot more complicated, that's what," Eirin answered, waving her hand and willing the splinters of her clipboard to her side, "roughly two thirds of your body was consumed by that demon, nothing was left below your torso."

"I'm well aware of what he did to me," Mokou snarled, "that doesn't mean you can just-" she cut herself off, snapping a hand over her abdomen, "oh..."

Eirin rolled her eyes, " _oh_ indeed, miss Fujiwara. Your valiant stupidity has effectively made our enemy invincible."

"You're really trying to replace me?" Kaguya whined, "I thought what we had was special."

"Shut up, Kaguya," Mokou seethed, "with the state that monster was in when we encountered it, I can assure you that it was already incapable of dying."

"That may be the case, but the Hourai elixir does many things, Mokou," Kaguya retorted.

"After eating you the demon turned and made a complete fool of Yasaka Kanako," Eirin said, "your donation made the monster more stable."

"And how do you factor that?" Mokou asked rudely. She was politely smacked in the face with a newspaper, "can you guys stop with the smacking?!" she shouted before examining the offending projectile, "Shameimaru's rag? You know better than to trust-"

"Read it anyway," Kaguya responded, "trust me, you'll enjoy it."

Mokou read the headline, "how could I possibly-..." she read the headline again, "Sanzu River... _empty_? Shinigami butchered?" she looked up at Eirin and Kaguya, incredulous, "she can't be serious!"

"Keep reading," Eirin commanded.

Mokou's wide eyes snapped back to the newspaper, reading the contents of the article itself, "this isn't real. She thinks that monster's some kind of Sanzu manifestation? Like the Hiei spirits?"

"The Hiei spirits were just a prelude to this abomination," Eirin answered, "and your liver has greatly diminished our odds of banishing it conventionally."

"The Hourai Elixir has anchored the demon to the physical realm," Kaguya helpfully clarified, "it's actually impossible to to banish him now."

"Quite impossible," Eirin agreed, correcting herself.

"Sorry?" Mokou tried, although it was hardly sincere, "last I checked you were the one that sent me out to help with this, now I'm in trouble for trying to do the appointed task?" she tossed the newspaper aside and flopped back into her pillow, "sure makes me keen to do another favor for you."

" _I told you scolding her was a bad idea~_ " Kaguya sang, sliding over to Mokou's side, "hey Mokou."

"Don't speak to me with such familiarity," the noble snapped, glaring at the lunar princess.

Kaguya stared back for a moment, her expression blank, "hey Mokou."

The fire-spitter groaned, " _what_ Kaguya?"

"Are you gonna get revenge?"

"There are more important things going on right now!" Mokou barked.

Kaguya grinned, "you're turning red, I know that face anywhere," she knelt down, concealing her sly lips behind the edge of the bed, "you want revenge."

"Do you think all I'm about is revenge?!"

"Are you going to go after the Black Devil?" Eirin asked.

"Of course I'm going after him, I have to get my revenge!" Mokou shouted.

"I knew it!" Kaguya cried, running out of the room as Mokou conjured a fireball.

Eirin sighed as the noble threw herself out of the bed and gave chase, leaving the good doctor to clean up, "every time," she grumbled, "do I ever hear a 'thank you doctor' or a 'I appreciate your hospitality'? Of course not, I'm just everyone's dorm mother," she fluffed Mokou's pillow. She could still see the fiery brat laying there peacefully.

She punched the pillow as hard as she could.

 **=][=**

The home of Alice Margatroid had seen better days, that much was obvious. It looked like nobody had tended to the place in months, and given her depression after discovering poor Adam's fate...

It wasn't exactly a shock, at least to Marisa.

"Someone lives here?" Kanako asked.

"She used to," Marisa said, watching as Reimu stepped onto the porch and gave the door a solid knock. There was a tense silence as they all waited for someone to answer.

To be frank, Marisa was the only person who actually felt somewhat tense.

"She's really not home," Reimu observed.

It was only then that the door opened, though the person behind the door was not the one the girls needed to see. Though the sight of Shanghai's presence was heartening.

"Shanghai!" Reimu greeted a little too energetically, "is Alice here?"

The doll was taken aback, especially at the sight of the glowering Marisa in the background, but tried her best to focus, "she is away," the doll answered, "she left with Flandre, to the Sanzu."

"If that's the case, they'll be back soon," Kanako said, taking a seat on the porch, "Yukari seems to think she can keep that demon occupied, so I guess we can just sit on our butts and let it tear apart Gensokyo."  
"Demon?" Shanghai parroted.

Reimu knelt down to Shanghai's level, her face twisted in sympathy, "I'm not sure how aware you are of things going on in Gensokyo lately, but there's a lot to go over. The Sanzu is empty, spirits had escaped somehow. Then Adam shows, but he's not himself, he's in bad shape actually."

"He's strong though," Kanako said, "I thought he'd be a pushover honestly, just smash him a few times and he'd stop getting up."

"You're fighting him?"

Reimu was about to continue when she saw Shanghai's grimace. She looked hurt, betrayed even. She'd never seen the mute little doll wearing such a face. The red-white looked to Marisa, who was equally floored by the sight.

"Why are you hurting him?" the doll quivered out, "why does everyone hurt him?"

"Shanghai..." Reimu tried, hesitantly putting a hand on the doll's shoulder. She used to see her as a mute little doll, but this was beyond something a simple-mind could do, "I don't know what's happening to him, but he's hurting a lot of people. We need to stop him."

"Please stop hurting him," Shanghai whimpered, "please make him come home, Alice has been hurting so much since he left..."

The shrine maiden snapped her fingers in front of the doll's face, but she seemed to be lost. Only weak mumbles passing her lips.

"Nice going, Hakurei," Kanako jabbed, "you broke the doll."

"If you have nothing to add can you just shut up?!" Reimu snapped, "I don't see you doing anything to help!"

As the two shrines bickered, Marisa made her way over to Shanghai. The doll averted eye contact the moment it was made, making the young magician sigh, "I know your mom and me aren't exactly on the best terms right now... and I'm sorry you had to hear this from Reimu of all people."

"What's happening?" Shanghai asked.

"I wish I knew," Mari answered.

Shanghai's eyes drifted skyward, and Marisa's eyes followed. There was Alice, looking like more hell than she'd ever seen. She was followed by a very snugly dressed Flandre, who was hiding carefully under her parasol from the evening sunlight.

The hell was Flandre doing with her?

The little doll immediately went to Alice, who welcomed her with open arms, "what's wrong Shanghai?" she asked, her concern painted on her face. She looked to Marisa, her eyes narrow but not quite a glare, "what's going on?"

Marisa bristled, feeling like she was being accused, "Reimu told her some bad news," she answered brusquely, "though you probably know what by now, if you went to the Sanzu."

The Romanian quirked a brow in response, "I did," she said tersely, noting Marisa's attitude. Her tired eyes drifted to a familiar shrine maiden, "it's good to see you again, Reimu, though I get the feeling it's not under good circumstances."

"I'm afraid so," Reimu answered, folding her arms as she exchanged another glare with Kanako, "the events of late aren't the best circumstances to bring people together."

"And speaking of bringing people together, I don't think we've met before," Alice said to Kanako.

"Yasaka Kanako," the goddess responded tartly, "now that introductions are out of the way, let's talk about how much trouble your demon is causing."

It was Alice's turn to bristle, "my _demon?_ " she snarled.

"Alice, if you saw the Sanzu you at least know half of what's going on," Reimu interrupted, trying to diffuse the situation before it began, "it's Adam, he's the one behind this."

"He's not capable of that," Alice retorted, "Adam doesn't have the heart to do what you're saying, let alone the ability to actually empty the Sanzu."

"He didn't just drain it, he took it with him," Kanako clarified, "he is the Sanzu now, and has the power of every spirit trapped within it."

Flandre did her best to keep quiet, somewhat intimidated by the girls Alice was talking to. There was that meanie Marisa, that stern girl Reimu, then there was this bigger meanie Kanako. It made her blood boil to hear Adam be talked about in such a way though, "he's too nice to do such awful things," she said, her voice weak from nervousness. She cleared her throat, as she often saw her sister do when she tried to regain composure, "Adam wouldn't do this on his own."

"Then it's a good thing he didn't," Kanako said, "I'm here because of who's been helping him."

"Manipulatin' him more like," Marisa clarified, "I'll give her the rundown."

Through the whole story, Alice was silent. Her expression went from thoughtful and attentive to increasingly morose the more she heard. Shanghai, as if tied to Alice's emotions, didn't look too far behind her.

Then there was Flandre. She saw the borderline hopeless expression on Alice's face and couldn't help feeling frustrated, "this is our chance!" she suddenly cried, interrupting Marisa's story, "if we find him, Alice and I could easily get through to him!"

Shanghai looked at Alice, and the Romanian was broken from her stupor. While she'd been far too optimistic for the magician's tastes, maybe Flandre was right. If it really was Adam doing all these things, then maybe they could make him sit down and talk, "where is he?" she asked.

"Yukari spirited him away somewhere, wouldn't tell me," Reimu answered, "exactly where she wants him to be."

"She said she was stalling for time," Kanako added, "I think she wants him to do something."

A thoughtful silence followed, and it would have actually lasted had Flandre not spoken up again, "she sent him back home," the curious looks she got spurred the younger Scarlet on, "he told me a lot about miss Yukari, I'm betting she's as mad at my sister as anyone else for this."

Marisa felt some eyes boring into the back of her head. She turned around, and there was Reimu, right in her face, "h-hey Rei."

"You knew about this, didn't you?" the shrine maiden asked, "Yukari gets really petty when she's upset, this is totally within the realm for her."

"I was going to tell you!" Marisa responded, "but Yukari gave me that look, you know the one! Shut me right up!"

Reimu's eyes narrowed, and she bit the inside of her lip thoughtfully, "that's also something she'd do," took a step back, "expedite Adam's trip to the mansion, make sure nobody knew about it, and keep the lips sealed on anyone who did."

Kanako nodded, finally happy to be getting some clear information, "we should move now then, if he's still at the mansion we could head him off and start round two."

"We still need one last thing," Reimu turned to Alice, her face grim, "Alice, if we can't stop Adam... if we can't get through to him, our only hope is to put him down. Do you have a way?"

Alice's jaw tightened, she exchanged a look with Shanghai, before sucking in a breath, "I'm afraid that's not possible."

"Come again?" Kanako prodded, rising to her feet.

"You can't just un-cook an egg, you can't turn tea back into the plant it came from," Alice answered, "I can't undo what I've done to Adam, and the magic behind him will keep him running forever."

"How do we stop him then?" Marisa asked, "Alice, if we can't get through to him-"

"I know!" the romanian snapped, making her former friend reel, "I know what's at stake here! Just take me to him, he won't hurt me," she turned to Flandre, "and of all people you can certainly get through to him."

The little vampire nodded, watching the sun begin to set behind Youkai Mountain, "miss Kanako?" she earned a soft sound from the goddess, "those monsters inside of him, the snakes, will they let him hear us?"

The goddess let out a soft sigh, "I don't really know, frankly. I didn't know the mishaguji could possess people."

"We still need a plan, we can't fight him head on," Reimu started fiddling with her ponytail, thoughtful, "Kanako, do the mishaguji have any weaknesses we can take advantage of?"

"The problem with that, Hakurei, is that all our missing mishaguji happen to be with that demon," Kanako answered, ignoring the glares she got for her choice of words, "they're as weak to magic as any youkai, but with them anchored to their new plaything I can't imagine being able to effect them without cracking the shell they're hiding in."

"He has a name, Kanako. I'd appreciate it if you used it," Alice reprimanded, "he's not a dumb animal, and he's not a monster."

"That remains to be seen, Alice," Kanako retorted, "if you can't appeal to whatever rationale is in him then I'm going to treat him like the animal he is."

"This arguin' is wastin' time!" Marisa interrupted, "how about we do the seeing thing and get through to Adam while we still know where he is?"

"We know just about everything useful," Reimu noted, "I could try suppressing the mishaguji, but Adam would have to actually sit down for a few minutes for that to work."

"I can do that," Flandre said, "I'll get him to stay still."

"And when the spell works? What then?" Kanako prodded.

"Surely there's a way we can excise them," Reimu continued, "if I'm just given the time to try..."

Alice nodded, feeling something spark in her, "we'll make the time," she set down Shanghai, kneeling to her level, "we'll get your brother back."

"Be safe," Shanghai said softly, worry painted on her face.

"We will," the Romanian responded, "I'll bring him home."

 **=][=**

"I wish I understood the mishaguji."

This was so wrong, her body was screaming to run away, but here she was. She spoke to the overgrown well, wondering if that... that _thing_ could hear her. Most of her hoped not, but there was a part of her that wondered if she'd get any clarity from this, "they are nothing like you."

Moriya Suwako could still feel it, deep under the shrine. In total silence she could hear it, barely within the periphery of her hearing. Slow, lethargic, on the brink, but still beating.

The goddess stared at the old blade beside the well, wondering if she should draw it again, "you would think a part of the greater whole would not be so different," she observed.

"I came at a good time."

Suwako just about jumped out of her skin as she whipped around, her hat thrown off her head. Looming over her was a face she knew well enough, it was hard to forget those golden eyes, "Y-Yukari," she stammered, "this is a bad time."

"Is it?" the youkai asked, striding past the goddess and folding up her umbrella. She drew closer to the well, then stopped dead in her tracks, "wow," she breathed. She shuddered as she tried to take another step closer, " _wow,_ " she turned back to Suwako, "just what have you been hiding from me, goddess? Nothing bad I hope."

"I told you when we brought the shrine here," Suwako said, "you know as well as I do that the last piece of-"

"It wasn't _beating_ when you first arrived," Yukari stepped away from the overgrown well, but had to spare it a passing glance, "I don't need that abomination poisoning Gensokyo while the mishaguji run rampant."

"If we take it the mishaguji will just follow it," Suwako said.

At this news, Yukari quirked a brow, "they'll what?"

"One thousand mishaguji," Suwako said, "and that which binds them to this plane."

"They're part of it?" the youkai asked, incredulous, "you didn't mention this before."

Suwako's hand went to her arm, "it wasn't important at the time, I never thought it would be. They were placid, they served me just how I needed them to."

"And now they're wearing the skin of someone special to me and making him do terrible things," Yukari retorted venomously, "what are they trying to accomplish?"

Suwako cast an apprehensive glance at the well again, hearing a slithering in the back of her mind. In the darkest; most repressed of memories, "I don't know."

"You're lying to me," Yukari observed, leaning on her parasol, "what are they planning?"

"I don't even know what they've been doing with their puppet," Suwako answered, "much less what they plan."

"That's twice now, Suwako," Yukari warned, "they brought up Adam, along with every soul in the Sanzu," she helpfully supplied, "they could have just taken Adam, but they took every soul in the water with him. _What are they doing?_ Do not test me a third time."

Suwako stared at the ground, unable to stand under Yukari's scrutiny, "do you want some tea? This is going to be a long story."

 **=][=**

The old days in Nihon were not too different from Gensokyo. Lush, perfect, small communities dotted across the landscape. Everywhere you looked there was beauty. From the sprawling rice fields to the smallest glistening stream. It was divine.

And why wouldn't it be? The land itself was crafted by the divine themselves, stepping down from their thrones on the highest peaks in Nihon to grace the landscape with a natural beauty that could only be matched by the most skilled artists in history. This was the land Moriya Suwako loved, this was the land she herself had a hand in creating.

She spent most of her time below the shadow of her mountain, crafting every petal on every flower, every leaf on every branch, and each stalk of bamboo was the work of a true craftsman. Truly, her realm was the most beautiful, and all who saw her splendor knew that she labored with a love unlike any other.

Suwako was there the day that summer had turned to winter, one unlike any other.

The day was bright, shining, and she herself was grooming a crude stream that had formed while she wasn't paying attention. Smoothing it out and gracing the nearby stones with verdant moss, blessing the waters themselves with humble life. It was picturesque to her, it all had to be. That was when she was struck by the first chill. It was a small thing, carried on the wind like an icy breath. She still felt the warmth of the sun on her back, and thought nothing of it, yet the chill came again.

There was something in the wind, something Suwako couldn't place. She followed the source of the cold gusts of wind, and the further she went the more things seemed wrong. She could feel the plants around her suffering, wilting under the harsh barrage of frigid air. She saw the perfect flowers, so carefully crafted, close up as the winds grew stronger still. She had assumed it was a jealous god from a neighboring mountain, maybe Ohoyamakui from Hiei had decided to finally take her up on that gardening competition she kept prodding him about, and had enlisted the help of a yuki-onna to better his odds of victory.

Yet her journey to the source had not lead her to a conniving woman and a competitive god like she had expected, rather she stood on the pristine beaches. She could see what was coming, however, a black mass that swallowed the horizon. It would be wrong to call it a cloud, for it did not seem solid enough. The mass did not even obstruct light, rather it seemed to just absorb it; devour it.

Suwako saw angry clouds roll in from above, toward the mass, and watched as the shadow was struck by lightning again and again to no avail—before being swallowed in the silent oblivion.

Moriya Suwako was no coward, but all she could think of was her home as the shadow grew, frigid air announcing its approach. She spread the word as much as she could as she beelined home, bringing word of darkness to the crows and letting them soar across Nihon with ill-tidings.

At the summit of her mountain she watched the darkness drift in. Angry clouds still battering it as the sky gods tried to ward off the foreign threat. The shadow was unimpeded as it swept over the skies. She could hear the battle in the heavens grow in ferocity as the sun was blotted out, depriving Nihon of its warmth. Then she had received word from Konohasakuya for all the mountain gods to travel to Mt Fuji and discuss plans of action.

The disunity of the mountain gods was ever-prevalent as they bickered and argued. Even as the war in heaven died down, they argued and prided, seeking only the glory of leading the battle against the shadow to -what they saw- as inevitable victory.

The shadow came before they had even gotten past introductions, descending upon Fuji. The skies that it left behind were empty, the only thing anyone could see being the defiant corona of an otherwise blotted out sun stretching across the skies in a futile attempt to help combat the darkness.

A moment should be taken to note how cold it had gotten. Frost was everywhere, growing exponentially and swallowing all in its path, killing every plant and freezing every body of water it stretched to. Suwako's own breath had become a cloud above her, growing every time she exhaled. As the darkness fell down on them from above, she could hear a great crackling of ice as it pooled before the base of the mountain, coalescing into the monstrous shape that would be ever-present in her nightmares.

Like a great serpent the shadow coiled around the base of Mt Fuji, slithering closer and closer to the summit with each coil. Finally the mountain gods had put aside their bickering and all rushed out to challenge the shadow, uncoordinated and without a plan. Suwako was quick to join her peers, drawing the sword she had been gifted from Takemikazuchi himself—the god of blades.

Chaos was all she saw around her. The serpent sprouted four massive limbs, and with each weaved dark magic so horrible she dare not describe it. The battle was fierce, but the demon answered each blow a thousand fold, and began to pick off its opponents one by one.

The first to fall was Ohayamakui, then Shirayama, and soon the monstrosity was felling them so fast Suwako couldn't keep track. In a last act of defiance, Konohasakuya brought the wrath of the mountain down upon the monster. The blood of the earth exploded from Mt Fuji and attacked the malevolent serpent. With renewed vigor the few gods that remained rose up to challenge the demon once again, and with the earth on their side they seemed to be turning back the tide of darkness. However, the gravity of the monster's power had not yet been realized. The world around her warped as it weaved a horrible spell, silencing Mt Fuji and severing its connection to the heart of the earth.

With their greatest weapon rendered useless, the gods quickly succumbed to the sentient darkness, until the only one left standing was Moriya Suwako herself. She was battered, bloodied, and most of all she was hopelessly weaker than her opponent. Even then, she would not give in, which only made the pain greater as the darkness toyed with its final victim. She was subject to tortures she could not begin to describe. When the shadow was finally satisfied with the depth of Suwako's agony and humbling, it turned its attention back to the other gods. She could only watch as one by one they were swallowed into the black maw of oblivion, never to return. Those she bickered with, those she loved, all consumed by the shadow.

However, Moriya Suwako's torment was only beginning.

As the monster spread its dark influence across Nihon, slowly choking it, Suwako was taken as a plaything. Subject to all manner of humiliating, debased acts, all for the amusement of Nihon's cruel new god. She would endure, however, and wait for the day she could liberate her home.

That day came when the demon was "encouraged" to gorge itself on the finest sake left in Nihon. So drunk was the darkness that it succumbed and passed out. It was in this moment of weakness that Suwako drew her sword and lashed out. She cut the demon into a thousand pieces, spread them across the farthest reaches of Nihon, and buried its still beating heart beneath her shrine. In time, the shadow that had cast itself over the land dissipated, and the only legacy of the demon that remained was carried with her.

Even in death, however, the darkness found a way to torment Suwako once more. The thousand pieces had risen from their burial sites, taking the shape of their father and continuing his work—they are the mishaguji. Suwako traveled across the land, subduing every fledgling serpent. As she had their father's blood on her hands, they fell in line behind her out of what seemed like respect. However, Suwako knew that they followed her for a vastly different reason.

=][=

"And what reason is that?" Yukari asked, eager to hear the story continue.

"I have the heart," Suwako answered, "within it is the essence of the dead god. They are drawn to it."

Yukari quirked a brow as she sipped her tea, but did not press the question further, "you'll tell me the truth another time."

Suwako shifted nervously, refilling her cup, "the blessing in all of this..." she continued, trying to keep from making eye contact, "is that the mishaguji are independent minds, that's why even now there's some in my shrine, totally placid. We'd be in much more trouble if they were of one will."

"Boys will be boys," the youkai said, "though I'd still like to hear what you believe Adam's future entails."

"Adam?" Suwako asked.

"A sweet boy with a temper," Yukari answered, "also happens to be the real name of the Sanzu beast."

The mountain goddess nodded, "so that's his name. While so much entropic power would certainly put the Black Devil... _Adam_ on a level to combat just about any obstacle we throw at him, it is not so simple. He's very unique if he's capable of holding so many souls, such power would tear apart the body of anyone else. The reality is that he's a glorified container, a delivery boy," Suwako explained, "if it weren't for you he'd be making a beeline to the shrine."

The youkai let out a thoughtful hum, "any plans to stop him?"

"Ideally you could just send him to another dimension," Suwako replied, half jokingly.

Yukari smiled, "now why would I do anything to help?"

The question absolutely floored the goddess, "Yukari, he'll destroy Gensokyo if we don't stop him!"

"Well then you'd better get on top of this Black Devil incident," the youkai responded nochalantly, "you're responsible for all the racket, I expect you to be able to quiet down before I go back to bed."

* * *

 _Thump-thump._

 _Thump-thump._

 _Thump-thump._


End file.
